The Exchange 111517
Coming up this week on the Exchange, we talk with a Christian philanthropist who says just handing out charity is not the best way to help people in need. Also, a look at the women who broke the Japanese and Nazi codes in WWII. That and more on the Exchange, on Siouxland Public Media.
Last night Siouxland Republican Party officials nominated State Representative and attorney Jim Carlin for Iowa Senate District 3 special election on December 12th.
Jim Carlin garnered 58 percent of the vote and easily defeated opponent and Akron city councilman Alex Pick, as the nominee to run in the Iowa Senate special election, according to the Sioux City Journal. He will face off with Democratic candidate Todd Wendt of Le Mars.
Wendt recently retired as the superintendent of the Le Mars school district after 17 years. If Carlin wins the Senate seat, he will resign his House seat, and another special election would be held. Woodbury County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mathew Ung says that election could cost 20-thousand dollars. The Iowa Senate seat came open after the resignation of Bill Anderson. District 3 is heavily Republican and includes nearly all of Plymouth County and Western and Northern Woodbury County, including the Morningside area.
President Donald Trump promised tax cuts when he was elected. And members of Congress are endeavoring to make his dream a reality. However, those cuts could hurt some development plans in Siouxland. Developers in the last six months have unveiled plans for more than $100 million dollars of redevelopment projects in downtown Sioux City,
Nearly all of these projects could be in trouble if the House adopts a Republican-backed proposal to eliminate the federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) program, as part of major overhaul of the nation’s tax code.
The $54 million-dollar restoration of Warrior Hotel and adjacent Davidson Building is one of the biggest redevelopment projects. Local owner Lew Weinberg and a developer that specializes in restoration of historic buildings, unveiled a plan this summer that would convert the Warrior into a 146-room boutique Marriott brand hotel.
The project relies heavily on historic tax credits, Roger Cauldron is a spokesperson for Weinberg, said developers are alarmed by the GOP tax plan, saying it would kill momentum for the Warrior/Davidson and other downtown projects. Caudron says this idea to cut taxes by getting rid of this tax credit really came at them from left field.
That was Roger Caudron, a spokesperson for Lew Weinburg, a developer who is redeveloping the Warrior Hotel and the Davidson Building in downtown Sioux City. He and other developers are worried that Congress will eliminate the Historic Tax Credit, which helps fund restorations like the Warrior.
You’re listening to the Exchange, on Siouxland Public Media, I’m Mary Hartnett. Many of us like to contribute to charity, especially during the holiday season. Peter Greer is the leader of
Project Hope, an organization that handles micro loans for those in need of a new start., At Northwestern University last Friday to talk to students about his work. Prior to joining HOPE, Greer worked internationally as a microfinance advisor in Cambodia and Zimbabwe. Greer was in town Friday to speak to students at Orange City’s Northwestern College about Christian centered charity. Greer said that he learned years ago that staying on track in an organization’s mission can make or break that group. He says avoiding mission drift has helped Project Hope in meeting its goals.
Peter
Pete Greer is the founder and CEO of Project Hope International, a philanthropy that helps people help themselves through micro loans.
He has written The Poor Will Be Glad (with Phil Smith, 2009), The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good (with Anna Haggard, 2013), and Mission Drift (with Chris Horst., He was in Orange City last week to speak with students at Northwestern College.
Music
You’re listening to the Exchange on Siouxland Public Media, I’m Mary Hartnett.
Last weekend was Veterans Day, when Americans celebrate the lives of veterans of foreign wars. For a long time, the only veterans who were honored were men. However, more than ten thousand women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking. Their efforts shortened the war and saved countless lives, but a strict vow of secrecy nearly erased their efforts from history…until now. Best-selling author Liza Mundy tells their story in the book, “Code Girls: The Untold Story of American Women Codebreakers During WWII.” Mundy says she was fascinated with their story from the first time she heard it.
Liza Mundy
That was Liza Mundy, the author of the new book, “Code Girls: The Untold Story of American Women Codebreakers During WWII.”
Artist of the Month-Aly Karsyn
