The high school football season kicks into high gear tonight. In class 4A, top ranked West Des Moines Valley is coming off back-to-back state championships and with six all starters gone from last year’s team the Tigers open a new challenge at third ranked Ankeny. Valley coach Gary Swenson says it’ll be fun to see how they respond and says they’re definitely ready to play after a long preseason. He says the Tigers are not focused on being the defending champs. He says they are just trying to get ready to play a tough opening game. He says they’re trying to focus on what they want to accomplish this year, and feels they made progress in the preseason.Class 2A second rated Solon opens on the road with a game against class 3A fifth ranked Mount Vernon.Solon coach Kevin Miller says they may struggle at the start with several new players stepping in. He says with a game against third rated Central Dewitt next week the Spartans will know where they stand in a hurry. He says they take pride in competing against the best competition in their area and this season is no different. Two programs that have experienced a lot of success collide as class 1A Aplington-Parkersburg plays host to Dike-New Hartford.Dike-New Hartford coach Tom Wilson says this will be a tough opener as they’re still trying to piece things together until they gain some experience.
Morningside travels to Hastings for opener
Morningside College opens the football season tomorrow at Hastings of Nebraska. The Mustangs were 3-7 a year ago but it could have been a different story. Morningside lost four games in 2003 by a touchdown or less and coach Steve Ryan is hoping for a better fate. Ryan says the Mustangs proved they were competitive last year and now look to take the next step. He says they have to do some of the little things necessary to win ballgames and understand what it takes to win.Ryan says Hastings will be a tough opener, as he says they’ve had a great football program and a great tradition.
ISU faces UNI, Iowa goes back in time
The Iowa Hawkeyes open the season at home against Kent State. In honor of the 75th anniversary of Kinnick Stadium the Hawks will wear uniforms that look like the 1939 Ironman team. Sophomore Drew Tate gets his first start at quarterback and coach Kirk Ferentz says he is ready, and says it he’d had to start last year they would’ve adjusted things. But he says with a year of experience, he’s ready and they always tweak the offense each week anyway. Running back Jermelle Lewis will be out serving a one-game suspension. Marcus Schnoor and Albert Young will get the carries. He says they’re both doing a great job, especially Schnoor who he says they know what he can do.Ferentz says there are a lot of question marks on the offensive line which makes him uneasy along with the other new players on the offense.Iowa State and UNI open their season in Ames. The Cyclones are determined to bounce back from a 2-10 record in 2003 and coach Dan McCarney says an improved running game will help.Redshirt freshman Bret Meyer gets the start at quarterback and McCarney says he will need to get comfortable. McCarney says with senior Tom Petrie at quarterback the Panthers have an advantage in experience. UNI coach Mark Farley says the Panthers are confident but realize they are underdogs.Farley says the Panthers expect to meet a motivated opponent that has a sense of urgency to get a win.
Iowa kids get first look at new state quarter
Hundreds of school children waited patiently under a sunny sky on the west side of the state capitol today as the new Iowa quarter was officially unveiled. It was a grand ceremony with an Army band, and the director of the U.S. Mint joining with Governor Tom Vilsack to place a cardboard replica of the new quarter on a map of the U.S. to symbolize its first day of circulation. He said,” it’s a wonderful, glorious, sunny shining day in our state. And if you think about our quarter, it’s a shinning example of who we are, what we believe, and what we can become.” First Lady Christie Vilsack, a former teacher, spoke about the significance of theme of the quarter — that features a Grant Wood painting of a one room schoolhouse under the words “Foundation in Education.” She says many other state quarters have featured historic landmarks, symbols of musical or cultural contributions unique to that state or people of significance from the state. But she says no other state has utilized their state quarter to make such a strong statement about education. Some have criticized the quarter for not doing enough to portray Iowa’s ag heritage. Governor Vilsack was asked about that criticism. He says the great thing about the quarter design is that it combines “what we grow and what we know” as it depicts agriculture in the background. He says it’s also a commitment to the environment as it features students and a teacher planting a tree. The kids on hand sat patiently in the sun for nearly an hour for the event — and their patience was rewarded at the end as the Governor and other dignitaries such as Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson gave each one a shiny new Iowa quarter. Those interviewed by Radio Iowa called the new quarter “neat” and “great.”You’ll soon see the Iowa quarter showing up in your change, or you can by a commemorative quarter set at Iowaquarter.com.
Tourism Division says stay in Iowa
The Iowa Division Tourism is trying to cash in on the new Iowa quarter with tips for traveling in the state this Labor Day weekend. Division spokeswoman Shawna Lode says they’re encouraging you to spend your new quarters and old dollars in the state. She says the promotion is called “25 cents, 25 events”, which highlights 25 big tourism events going on this weekend. Lode says you don’t have to go far to make this a good weekend. She says it’s the last big three-day weekend for quite awhile, and they’re encouraging people to enjoy a little big of Iowa. Looking back as the summer travel season starts to wind down, Lode says it’s been a good year. She says the good attendance at the Iowa State Fair is evidence that gas prices haven’t kept people at home, and she says traffic has been good at the state’s welcome centers. You can find the 25 events at:www.traveliowa.com.
Attorney General goes after prize scam
Iowa’s consumer-protection division is intercepting someone else’s mail in an attempt to stop a prize scam. Spokesman Bob Brammer in the Attorney General’s office says it’s not the first time they’ve been alerted to phony sweepstakes promises. An alert Iowan in Brooklyn forwarded two different mass-mailed solicitations that appear to violate Iowa’s law on prize promotions, claiming the recipient’s close to winning a huge sweepstakes, something like a million bucks. The catch, of course, was that the victim was asked to send in cash to claim the big prize. What caught the eye of investigators was that they were to send their 29-95 to a post-office box in Des Moines. Investigators worked with the Post Office to find out where mail was forwarded from there, and then got a judge’s order to impound that mail. The money sent in by targeted victims was apparently being forwarded to Canada. Brammer says there’s a danger in responding to such phony offers, besides losing the money people send in. What they’re really doing, he explains, is putting themselves on a “hot list” for mailers or telemarketers who’ll target them for scams aimed at taking them for much more money. With its elderly population Brammer says Iowa’s a more common target for such scams than some other states. He says most of the biggest offenders were driven out of the U.S. with techniques pioneered in Iowa. In the late 1990s an undercover telephone “sting” pioneered in Iowa’s consumer office was taken up by prosecutors all over the country, and drove out the scammers, but he says they migrated…to Canada. And from across the international border, some continue to cheat Iowans. It’s hard to go after a business based in Canada, as he says many attorneys general struggle with prosecuting such cases. In the meantime, “Provincial Prize Reporting Associates” and “Gold Coast Publishing” of Vancouver, British Columbia, will not receive mail the attorney general’s office is intercepting.
Verdict on Cass County Attorney could come next week
The case to remove Cass County Attorney James Barry from office for alleged improprieties ended Thursday with -no- verdict. Judge Robert Hutchinson asked the lawyers to put in writing any motions or other closing arguments to be turned in by this (Friday) afternoon. Barry was questioned by his attorney Joseph Hrvol about his practice of reducing speeding tickets to non-moving violations with big fines to bring money to the county sheriff’s office. Since Monday is a holiday, Judge Hutchinson is expected to rule on Barry’s case Tuesday afternoon, the same time the trial of Cass County Sheriff Larry Jones is slated to begin. Shortly after prosecuting attorney Ronald Feilmeyer finished his cross-examination of Barry, Judge Hutchinson questioned Barry himself. Barry contends he did nothing wrong by allowing people to plea-bargain their tickets.Judge Hutchinson questioned Barry on his legal interpretations of statutes in the Iowa Code. Hutchinson also questioned Barry about the so-called “donations” to the sheriff’s office by people who had plea-bargained down their moving violations to non-moving violations. The judge said he will not be able to rule in Barry’s case until next week. He says it will be a task to keep the two separates as he moves forward. The day concluded with Barry’s attorney calling three character witnesses, including two Cass County supervisors, who praised Barry for always being prepared, his high energy level and diligence in the courtroom.
