Senator Charles Grassley says Iowa consumers are “patriotic” and wouldsupport a move to make corn-based ethanol the only fuel dispensed from Iowagas pumps. Grassley is among those who’ve signed a petition urging Iowa’s AgSecretary to make the ethanol mandate.Republican legislative leaders oppose the ethanol mandate, and say they’redisappointed Grassley is leading the charge. Grassley says the petition wasa bi-partisan effort.Grassley says there are already two-hundred-17 additives required ingasoline sold in Iowa, and adding ethanol to the list isn’t that big astretch.Grassley says consumers in smoggy cities have been forced to buy oxygenatedfuel like ethanol for the past nine years.Senator Tom Harkin is urging Iowa Ag Secretary Patty Judge to swiftly mandateethanol at Iowa gas pumps if she is told by the Attorney General she has theauthority to do so. Harkin says the ethanol mandate would be a “desperatelyneeded, long-lasting shot in the arm” for Iowa farmers.
Almanac predicts cold winter
A familiar yellow paperback is making its 208th appearance on periodicalshelves. The “Old Farmers Almanac” is out today. The “Old Farmers Almanac’s” weather predictions and planting recommendationswere used by generations of farmers. No floods or droughts are predictedfor Iowa by the Almanac’s forecasters. That’s Mark Platz of the Almanac’s marketing staff, who notes it’s a special”collector’s edition” of the magazine.Here are the nuts-and-bolts of the Almanac’s forecast: temperatures will befairly normal from November through March. April and May will be warmerthan normal — and June, July and August will be hotter than normal. Lastyear’s “Old Farmer’s Almanac” did predict a colder than normal winter, andthat’s the prediction for this year’s winter as well.
Schoolboard seats up for grabs today
Iowa voters are selecting local school policy decision-makers in today’sschool board elections. Board positions in three-hundred-77 Iowa schooldistricts are being decided. Chet Culver is the state’s Commissioner ofElections.Poll hours are partly determined on a county-wide basis.Culver says, unfortunately, school board elections have the worst turn-out ofany type of election in Iowa. Only about ten percent of Iowans vote inschool board elections.Culver says in some other states, school board election ballots are mailed tovoters, who in turn send back their completed ballots.
Search on for man who kidnaped, killed three-year-old
Authorities continue to search for the man linked to the death of athree-year-old Bettendorf girl yesterday. Police are searching for 30-year-old “Smitty” Smith. A babysitter saysthree-year-old Breanna (bree-ann’-uh) Mose (mohz) was kidnapped yesterdaymorning by Smith, who had been the fiance of the child’s mother. Thethree-year-old was found dead last night in Smith’s car in Moline, Illinois.Police say Smith has a history of sexual assaults and violence.
UNI to take on coach’s old school
The Northern Iowa Panthers have climbed to sixth in the latest SportsNetwork one-double-a top 25. U-N-I is 2-0 after a 36-21 victory overdivision one-a Ohio.That’s Panther coach Mike Dunbar. All-American wide receiver Mike Furreyleft the game with Ohio due to injury and Dunbar is hopeful it is notlong-term.U-N-I returns home to take on Central Washington this weekend. Dunbar spentsix seasons as the head coach at Central Washington and says he really didnot want to schedule this game.Dunbar says Central Washington has a lot of tradition.
Group seeks to help churches avoid political trouble
The Iowa Interfaith Alliance is launching a campaign to show how to mixpolitics and religion without breaking the rules.Alliance Executive Director Alicia Claypool says the campaignincludes a guide that explains the rules. She says there’s a lot ofconfusion over what religious organizations can do when it comes topolitics. Claypool says political questionaires raise the most questions.The Interfaith Alliance offers a different political perspective from theChristian Coalition. She says religious organizations could face a bigpenalty if they don’t follow the rules.Claypool says you can get an election guide by calling the Alliance at515-279-8715.
Forbes organizes in all 99 Iowa counties
Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes has reached a milestone inhis campaign organization, lining up vote-captains in each of Iowa’s 99counties.Forbes, who finished second in the August Straw Poll in Ames, says nearlyall of his county leaders are republicans.This is Forbes’ second campaign for president. It was about this time inSeptember, 1995, when he first entered the 1996 campaign.As an example, Forbes points to his personal visits to 80 of Iowa’s 99counties in advance of the Iowa G.O.P. Straw Poll. Forbes made his commentsyesterday afternoon during a telephone conference call with Iowa politicalreporters,
