Iowa on Monday June 29, 2009

IA: Benefit cuts possible for future Iowa retirees
By William Petroski, The Des Moines Register
Iowa's largest public employee pension fund could be forced to reduce benefits for future retirees because of the global recession, which has worsened the fund's existing financial troubles, state officials said Thursday.
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IA: Iowa DOT Blocks Facebook, Twitter
By The Associated Press, KCCI-TV 8 (Des Moines)
The Iowa Department of Transportation has blocked the use of several online social networking sites from employee work computers because of security concerns.
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Tracking the recession: Budget deadline looms
By Stephen C. Fehr, Stateline.org Staff Writer
Unlike the federal government, states have to balance their budgets. But several states still have not completed spending plans for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
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IA: Several Iowa hospitals accused of irregularities
By The Associated Press, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Several Iowa hospitals, including one at the center of a controversy involving the shooting death of Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas, have been accused in recent years of discharging psychiatric patients before they were stabilized.
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IA: Courts to cut 50 jobs, save $5.4 million
By The Register Staff, The Des Moines Register
Iowa's court system will eliminate or hold vacant about 50 jobs, officials said Thursday.
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IA: Iowa DOT blocks tweets over security concerns
By William Petroski, The Des Moines Register
Don't try tweeting if you work for the Iowa Department of Transportation. The state agency is blocking the use of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other online social media applications for its 3,000 employees while they're on the job because of worries about computer security.
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IA: Economists say Iowa faces a rough road
By Jason Clayworth, The Des Moines Register
Economists warn Iowa will most likely endure another two years of revenue and employment slumps based on past economic statistics, despite the state's ability to buffer the harsher effects of the national recession.
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US: National sex offender registry delayed a year
By The Associated Press, Argus Leader (Sioux Falls)
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. has given states and American Indian tribes another year to feed a national Internet database set up to protect children by showing where possible predators live and work.
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