Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry today attacked rival Howard Dean on the issue of gun control. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry says former Vermont Governor Howard Dean “actively” courted and received the National Rifle Association’s endorsement while he was Governor — while Kerry says he and others were fighting the N-R-A in Washington to pass a ban on the sale of assault weapons. Kerry says the Democratic party must “stand up against” the N-R-A and he says the party doesn’t need a nominee who says we need to woo the N-R-A. Governor Dean says he favors allowing states to enact their own gun laws and has often said Al Gore lost the presidency last time around because he antagonized the N-R-A. Kerry says Dean’s trying to have it both ways. Kerry says Dean’s been running around the country bragging about the “rapport” he has with the N-R-A. Kerry says even former President Bush — the father of current President George W. Bush — resigned from the N-R-A when the group referred to federal agents who enforce gun restrictions as “jack-booted thugs.” Kerry says at that very moment, Dean was still trying to get the N-R-A’s endorsement. Kerry says he started hunting when he was 12 years old, but has never supported having assault weapons available to “average citizens.”. A spokesman for Governor Dean says Dean supports a ban on assault weapons like the A-K-47. Republicans issued a statement attacking Kerry for his “anti-gun” sentiments and highlighting the fact he routinely gets an “F” from the N-R-A.
IHSAA looks to late night to figure out playoff matchups
The offices of the Iowa High School Athletic Association in Boone will be busy this evening where officials will put together the playoff pairings. Bud Legg of the Association says the first priority is to get all the scores to help them sort out the remaining 40 playoff positions.Once the scores are in the next step is to tabulate points and see who’s in and who’s not. If any of the districts or conferences wind up in ties, they use the tiebreaker procedures, with the first being head-to-head competition and the next points. The final job belongs to the Board of Control which will set the first round pairings. Legg says as in past years, the top priority is location. He says there might be some scenarios where that might not be possible, such as district champions facing district champions.
Who’ll turn the football trick and get a playoff treat??
The high school football playoff field will be set following tonight’s close of the regular season. In class 1A, Conrad BCLUW was knocked out of the rankings with a loss to fifth-rated Eldora-New Providence but the Comets should move on with a win over Grundy Center. B-C-L-U-W coach Les Penick says they have a great chance if they win. He says they have not put too much emphasis on the playoff chase. He says they’ve tried their best to get focused on the game and he says they have a lot at stake.Penick says the start to this game is important. He says they’re a young team, so it’s important to get out early and dominate the first quarter to put some doubt in Grundy Center’s minds.
Oskaloosa man faces drug charges
An Oskaloosa man is facing several charges for allegedly selling drug pharaprenalia. 54-year-old Raymond Bowermaster has plead not guilty to five counts of selling or conspiring to sell the drug stuff. Federal Law Enforcement Coordinator Al Overbaugh says some of the items include marijuana pipes and cigarett papers. The charges date back to alleged incidents in October of 2001 when Bowermaster may’ve sold the items at his Oskaloosa business called “Alpha Omega M-C.”The Oskaloosa Police Department teamed up with the D-E-A in the year-long investigation. Bowermaster’s trial is set for December first in U-S District Court in Des Moines.
Defiance woman loses custody of kids in murder case
The western Iowa woman who’s charged in the shotgun slaying of her abusive spouse is now fighting to get her kids back, following her release from jail Wednesday on 15-thousand dollars bail. The Defiance woman accused of murdering her husband and hiding his body in a bedroom for more than a year has not yet been re-united with her children. The state has called off a deal that would’ve allowed 36-year-old Dixie Shanahan to regain custody of her three children. The Department of Human Services says it stopped the deal because of concerns about “bad publicity.” Shanahan’s attorney is expected to ask a judge today to grant Shanahan temporary custody of her children. Shanahan’s children are ages seven-years-old, five-years-old and eight-months-old.
U-of-I scientists listen to solar flare via Casini
This week’s massive solar flare was “heard” by a NASA spacecraft in deep space and University of Iowa scientists have converted the signal into a sound humans can hear. The flare on the sun hurled off electrons at a very high speed, traveling 809-million miles in 69 minutes, where the Casini spacecraft picked up the phenomenon. U-of-I physics professor Don Gurnett helped build Casini and says the electrons produce a radio signal that decreases in frequency as they emerge, producing the odd whistling tone. He says the signals were traveling about the same as the speed of light, at roughly 186-thousand miles per second. Since people can’t hear radio signals at 1016-megahertz, the frequencies were shifted down into the audible range. The sound was also compressed from about four hours into about 20 seconds, as he says, “you wouldn’t want to sit and listen to this for four hours.” Casini is headed for Saturn and should arrive by July. It’ll be used to study the planet’s moons and rings. (Click on the link below for an audio version of this story)
Don’t let candy lead to cavities
It’s a given that kids are going to bring home the candy after trick-or-treating — but it’s not a given that those treats have to turn into a horrible trip to the dentist. Ed Schooley is the top dentist for one of the top dental insurance companies in Iowa. Doctor Schooley says 18-percent of two to four year-olds today have cavities and that swells to 80-percent by the time they reach age 17. He says candy is one of the three major factors in cavities. He says the sugar provided by the candy combines with the bacteria in a person’s mouth to produce the acids that produce the cavities or holes in teeth. While you probably can’t completely cut out candy, Schooley says you can prevent the negative impact with good oral hygiene. He says after they’ve had a lot of sugars, you need to go in and break up the “sticky biofilm” they produce. You do that by brushing, flossing, or drinking water to help dilute the sugars. Some people may hand out things like raisons or dried fruit to avoid the candy, but Schooley says they also can be a problem. He says a lot of carbohydrates found in fruits break down into the simple sugars that’re also found in candy bars. He says those fruits can also be sticky and hard to get off kid’s teeth. Schooley says following the proper brushing techniques and drinking water is necessary when eating those foods too. And always brush before bed. He says it’s very important to brush prior to bed, or refrain from sugars so you don’t give the sugars an eight-hour time frame to produce the bad acids. Schooley says eating sugary foods in combination with other foods can also help as the mouth will produce more saliva to wash away the sugars.
