Archive for February 2011
A Closer Look: Rob Kelly
How did you get involved with Make-A-Wish?
I volunteered originally for Blank Children’s Hospital. I was serving on another board with a gentleman who was on the board at Make-A-Wish. And I asked him about …
Read MoreSoy for Life Foundation focuses on nutrition
An organization dedicated to promoting the benefits of soybeans has launched an initiative to teach teenagers healthier eating habits.
The Soy for Life Foundation was established three years ago by The Soyfoods Council as a …
Read MoreA steady hand at the top
Just two days into a new job, Jim Schipper knew he would be changing his vacation plans.
Schipper, 61, is the Osceola banker who was tapped by Gov. Terry Branstad to replace Tom Gronstal as …
Read MoreInstitute sows seeds for insurance industry’s future
Jon Raftis first heard about the Emmett J. Vaughan Institute of Risk Management and Insurance when he applied for an internship with a West Des Moines brokerage firm.
At the end of that interview, Raftis …
Read MoreNonprofits finding ways to make ends meet
When it comes to cutting expenses, the last thing area nonprofit organizations want to do is cut services.
So, by and large, they haven’t. Though they have spent the last three years dealing with and …
Read MoreDes Moines Arts seeks support for building
Justin Mandelbaum wants to form a nonprofit group to convert one or more downtown buildings into permanent affordable space for local artists.
The 31-year-old business owner, who nearly six years ago spearheaded the creation of …
Read MoreTax facts and myths get mixed
The Iowa House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee approved a measure to lower the state’s personal income tax rates, and Iowans for Tax Relief, an influential Muscatine-based group, quickly praised the measure.
“States with …
Read MoreStrong fourth quarter for S&P 500
Nearly three-quarters of the 70 percent of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index that have reported their fourth-quarter results so far have beat analysts’ expectations, CNNMoney.com reported.
Profits for the S&P 500 …
Read MoreHome mortgage rates rise as prices drop
The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage climbed to 5.05 percent today, the fourth consecutive weekly increase, Bloomberg reported.
The 0.24 percentage point gain for the week ended Feb. 10 brought U.S. mortgage rates …
Read MoreNollen Plaza redesign moves ahead
Civic Center of Greater Des Moines President Jeff Chelesvig said today that a decision could be made in the next six to eight months about raising funds for a redesign of downtown’s Nollen Plaza. New …
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