Corridor architect wins AIA Young Architects Award February 1, 2008
Posted by John in Architecture.Tags: Architecture, Awards, Cedar Rapids, coralville, Iowa City, Neumann Monson Architects
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From Archinect:
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced the ten recipients of the 2008 AIA Young Architects Award. Young Architects are defined as professionals who have been licensed 10 years or fewer regardless of their age. This award honors individuals who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession early in their careers. …
Tim Schroeder, AIA
Graduating cum laude from Iowa State University in 1994, Tim Schoeder received the Kocimski Award, the highest award available to graduating architecture students. Schroeder, in 2000 at age 30, became a vice president of Neumann Monson Architects and has led…
Mississippi selects Pearson for $29 million contract January 29, 2008
Posted by John in Business, Education.Tags: contracts, Iowa City, K-12 Schools, Pearson Educational Measurement, State of Mississippi
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From PR Newswire:
JACKSON, Miss., and IOWA CITY, Iowa, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ — The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE)…selected the Educational Measurement group of Pearson to create and manage its new writing assessment program. The company will collaborate with the Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute (MWTI) at Mississippi State University and state department of education leaders on the development and delivery of this innovative assessment.
Through the 10-year, $29 million contract, Pearson will provide customized writing assessments for Mississippi’s 124,000 students in grades 4, 7 and 10. …
Article about I.C. native, actor/author Hill Harper January 27, 2008
Posted by John in Biography, Writing.Tags: Actors, Books, Hill Harper, Iowa City, Mentoring
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From Sarasota Herald Tribune:
In Iowa City, Iowa, his father, Henry Harper, was a psychiatrist. His mother, Marilyn Hill, was one of the first practicing African-American anesthesiologists in the U.S.
Success, wisdom and determination was ingrained into Harper’s life, so it was no surprise that he graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a bachelor of arts degree and graduated cum laude from Harvard, where he earned juris doctorate and master of public administration degrees.
Continuing an interest in acting that began at age 7, Harper now appears on the “CSI: NY” TV show. …
Frostbitten race winner from Davenport losing toes at UIHC Friday January 23, 2008
Posted by John in Sports, Weather.Tags: Andrew Wells, frostbite, Iowa City, Track, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
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From USA Today:
[Andrew] Wells, a chiropractic student, tried to warm his feet in warm water and then went to a hospital in Platteville. From there, he went to Iowa University Hospital and clinics in Iowa City, where doctors plan to remove his big toe and the one next to it from his right foot.
He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that surgery is scheduled for Friday. …
What did Wells win? A victory package that included energy drinks, gel flasks, Moosejaw adventure gear and a subscription to “Trail Runner” magazine.
Iowa City defendant accused with ex-lawmaker Siljander in terrorist-financing indictment January 17, 2008
Posted by John in Crime/Courts.Tags: Ali Mohamed Bagegni, Grand Jury Indictments, Iowa City, Mark Deli Siljander, Relief Organizations, Terrorism
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U.S. Department of Justice release: Islamic Charity Charged with Terrorist Financing; Former U.S. Congressman Indicted for Money Laundering
Read complete (superseding) grand jury indictment here [PDF]
In furtherance of the conspiracy, beginning in or around March 1991, the defendant IARA, by and through its board of directors, including the defendant ALI MOHAMED BAGEGNI, authorized the provision of financial support to persons and organizations located inside Iraq. …
In or about March 2004, the defendants IARA, MUBARAK HAMED, ALI MOHAMED BAGEGNI and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, hired the defendant MARK DELI SILJANDER to advocate for the defendant IARA’s removal from “the list” and reinstatement as an approved government contractor, by gathering information and meeting with individuals and agencies of the United States Government. …
From Columbia Daily Tribune:
A federal grand jury returned a new terrorism-related indictment yesterday against members of a former Columbia-based Islamic charity and its paid lobbyist, a former U.S. congressman from Michigan.
The 42-count superseding indictment alleges that the Islamic American Relief Agency, or IARA, and its officers sent money to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an Afghan mujahideen leader and founder of the warlord-led militia group Hezb-e-Islami-Gulbuddin. Gulbuddin has participated in and supported terrorist acts by al-Qaida and the Taliban, U.S. Department of Justice officials said. …
Ahmed Habib, chairman of the governing board for the Islamic Center of Central Missouri, said today that members of the Columbia mosque were disappointed by news of the new indictments.
The defendants “are well respected members of the community, and there’s a lot of members of our congregation who contributed to the charity,” Habib said. “We’ll just have to wait and see how this thing turns out.” …
Federal officials cautioned that the indictment does not charge any of the defendants with “material support of terrorism” or knowingly financing acts of terror. …
Ali Mohamed Bagegni, 53, formerly of Columbia, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Libya and a former member of IARA’s board of directors. Bagegni is the former principal of the Islamic School of Columbia and has moved to Iowa with his daughter, Habib said. …
For more information, see Gazette article about March 2007 indictment:
… Bagegni, formerly of Columbia, is a former member of IARA’s board of directors, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the western district of Missouri. He is a naturalized citizen born in Libya, the release said.
Bagegni was arrested in Iowa City on Wednesday and appeared in federal court in Cedar Rapids later in the day, said Don Ledford, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Bagegni was released on a personal recognizance bond, Ledford said. …
WSJ article on UI’s attempt to curb student drinking with more Friday classes January 7, 2008
Posted by John in Education.Tags: college drinking, higher education, Iowa City, UI, University of Iowa
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From Wall Street Journal today:
IOWA CITY, Iowa — What to do about college students who drink heavily on Thursday night? Put a price on their heads.
University of Iowa officials are so concerned about binge drinking among students, they’re offering departments extra funds to hold more classes on Fridays. The spur for that? A study that found early Friday classes reduced heavy drinking the night before. …
See Gazette article about it here.
WSJ column about Sonny Iovino, homeless veteran who died in Iowa City December 22, 2007
Posted by John in Human Services.Tags: assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) laws, E. Fuller Torrey, homelessness, Iowa City, Johnson County (Iowa), Kendra's Law, Sonny Iovino, Veterans, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Wall Street Journal
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From Wall Street Journal column, “Free to die in Iowa,” by Iowa City journalist Michael Judge:
Well, after the death of Sonny Anthony Iovino, a 55-year-old, mentally ill Vietnam veteran who froze to death here last month under the Benton St. Bridge, I don’t think I’ll ever see “It’s a Wonderful Life” in quite the same way. There was no kindly angel to rescue this man, who suffered from chronic schizophrenia. He wasn’t standing on a bridge thinking of ending his life; he was huddled beneath one trying to stay alive.
His community, my community, didn’t come together to save him from ruin. Instead it refused him shelter, refused him even the most basic of medical care when he needed it most. …After Iovino’s death, a spokesman for the VA Medical Center told the Cedar Rapids Gazette [LINK], “If somebody doesn’t want to be treated, you can’t treat them.” This is simply not the case. Given his debilitated state, the VA psychiatrist on duty could have forced Iovino to receive the treatment that might have saved his life. …
Chicago Tribune caucuses article features several Iranian-Americans at I.C. December 20, 2007
Posted by John in Education, Government, IowaCaucuses, Political.Tags: 2008 election, Chicago Tribune, Diana Mina, iowa, iowa caucuses, Iowa City, Iran, Iranian-Americans, Maysam Mousaviraad, Maysam Takapoo, Siroos Shirazi, UIHC, University of Iowa, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Yashar Vasef
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Included in today’s Chicago Tribune article: University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics surgeon Dr. Siroos Shirazi; University of Iowa students Yashar Vasef, Diana Mina, Maysam Mousaviraad, and Maysam Takapoo.
Many Iranians have settled in the Iowa City area, either because they are University of Iowa students — currently numbering about a dozen — or because they were one of the hundreds who studied there during the 1970s, before the 1979 Iranian Revolution ended an educational exchange program. …
I.C. man in Afghanistan gives Border Police class on PKM machine gun marksmanship December 18, 2007
Posted by John in Government, Military.Tags: Afghan Border Police, Afghanistan, guns, iowa, Iowa City, Jeffrey E. Mohr, weapons
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From the Department of Defense:
Americans in Afghanistan recently helped the Afghan Border Police in eastern Khowst improve their capabilities by training them to effectively fire Soviet-designed machine guns.
Two Army infantrymen assigned to an Afghan Border Police mentor team gave a hands-on class to familiarize them with a PKM machine gun.
With Army Sgt. Jeremiah K. Stafford, of Charleston, S.C., demonstrating, Army Staff Sgt. Jeffrey E. Mohr, from Iowa City, Iowa, taught the ins and outs of the PKM through an interpreter. Stafford took the weapon apart a couple times, and Mohr explained the purpose of the pieces. Mohr ensured the men in the class understood how the weapon functions and required them to demonstrate their knowledge. …
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