Democratic US Rep Leonard Boswell to seek re-election
From the AP/WQAD

Democratic U.S. Congressman Leonard Boswell will seek an eighth term in office.

That’s despite speculation from some Republicans that he would retire.

The 76-year-old representative from Iowa filed paperwork with the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office on Friday. The Iowa primary is June 8. Read full story…

Loebsack cites flaw in homebuyer tax credit
From the Des Moines Register

U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack wants Congress to fix what he says is a loophole in the federal tax credit for couples who own a home and want to buy a new one.

Loebsack, a Democrat, said a newly married Iowa couple found they failed to qualify for the $6,500 federal tax credit for existing homeowners. While the husband had owned a home for five of the past eight years, his wife was a new homeowner. “What my constituents found is that if one spouse hasn’t lived in the same principal residence for those five years … neither spouse is eligible to receive any assistance,” Loebsack wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Read full story…

Iowa’s economy could see a boost by summer
From the Des Moines Register

The governor’s 13-member Council of Economic Advisers reviewed work force and personal income trends that members said are encouraging. Personal income growth is expected to be around 1.8 percent this year, compared to 1.2 percent predicted in December, according to Charles Whiteman, the interim director of the University of Iowa Institute for Economic Research.

During a taping of the public television program “Iowa Press” earlier in the day, Whiteman said he thinks Iowa’s economy might pick up this summer but will likely stay relatively flat through the spring, according to the Associated Press. Read full story…