Iowa Guard members starting to receive back pay
From the Quad-City Times

Iowa National Guard members have begun to receive long-overdue payments they were promised for extended tours of Iraq, 1st District U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley announced Thursday.

“The news that Iowa’s National Guard members are finally receiving the respite leave payments they earned is both exciting and long overdue,” Braley said. “Hundreds of Iowa National Guard members bravely served our country and waited patiently to be compensated.” Read full article…

Culver signs reorganization measure
From the Ames Tribune

Gov. Chet Culver on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping restructuring of state government designed to squeeze $127 million in spending from next year’s budget and help close an expected shortfall.

When coupled with an early retirement incentive program for state workers that has been approved and cuts the governor made that didn’t require legislative approval, $270 million has been trimmed from the $5.3 billion fiscal year budget that begins July 1, Culver said. Read full article…

Beer fans celebrate new Iowa law on higher-alcohol brews
From the Des Moines Register blogs

Now that “beer equality” has come to pass, one Iowa micro-brewery that pushed for the new law intends to make the most of it.

Olde Main Brewing Co. in Ames has thirsted for years to sell Iowans higher-alcohol beer, just as out-of-state breweries can already do.Read full article…