It will be a special night in Drake Stadium on Saturday when the Bulldogs open their home season against William Penn. It will be the stadium’s first night game since 1960 and one of the trucks used by Iowa-based Musco Lighting to illuminate the field was used in the cleanup effort at “ground zero” in the wake of the nine-11 attacks. Drake coach Rob Ash says it will be a special and historic night that should be a great exciting game too. The Bulldogs narrowly missed a big upset in their season opener. They lost at Southwest Missouri State 31-26. He says their defense showed they’re going to be aggressive and attacking, the passing game and kicking game looked good. He says they found they still need work on the running game though. Ash says the extra couple of days off since their last game will be a benefit them as the Southwest game was hard hitting. William Penn is 1-1 after a 38-7 victory over Taylor University last weekend. Penn coach Todd Haffner says they improved each week, but still need to improve more. He says through two weeks the defense has been impressive. He says they’re doing a good job of running to the ball, but he says they’d still like to see them run a little harder at times.Haffner says the Statesmen see this as a big opportunity and says they’ll come out ready to play.
JEL pushes for tobacco control legislation
The anti-tobacco group led by Iowa kids is calling on the state’s U.S. Senators to support legislation that would give the F-D-A the ability to regulate tobacco. Anthony Menendez is president of the group “Just Eliminate Lies” or “JEL.”He says the legislation would give the F-D-A the authority to regulate the manufacturing , marketing and sale of tobacco products. He says despite the “tremendous harm they cause” tobacco products are exempt from the regulations that cover other food and drugs. Menendez is a senior at Estherville High School and says the tobacco companies know that getting kids to smoke before they turn 18 gives means the kids will likely continue smoking. He say the tobacco companies claim they’ve changed, but he says they still see the tobacco ads in magazines and plastered all over convenience stores located near schools. He says tobacco companies still spend 11-point-five million dollars on advertising just in Iowa — with much of it aimed at youth. Menendez says tobacco companies are also trying new tactics to lure in youth smokers by offering flavored brands of cigarettes. He says the cigarettes have names like “Caribbean Chill” and “Mocha Taboo.” He says they sound more like fruit smoothies, or candy or gum. He says he doubts that it’s a coincidence the names sound like candy — which he points out candy is regulated by the F-D-A. Iowa Senators Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley are on a conference committee that’ll negotiate a compromise version of the bill that contains the amendment on tobacco regulation. Menendez says it’s important that they see that bill through. He says it’s time to let the F-D-A regulate tobacco, and he says it would not only help youth, but help all Americans. JEL held news conferences across the state today to push for the measure, Menendez spoke at one in Des Moines.
Arizona man arrested in Jasper County standoff
An Arizona man was at the center of a short standoff in a rural Jasper County house yesterday. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office sprang into action after learning that 31-year old Jayme Steege of Scottsdale, Arizona had confined himself in a rural Monroe home and was armed with a rifle following a domestic altercation. The Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team was deployed as well as the Iowa State Patrol. After approximately one hour, Steege surrendered to law enforcement officials without incident. He was arrested and charged with going armed with intent and serious domestic assault. He is being held without bond in the Jasper County jail.
Cedar Rapids man found guilty in traffic death
A Cedar Rapids man faces up to two years in prison after being found guilty in Tama County on charges stemming from the traffic death of a Marshalltown man. Robert Shattuck was killed in February after being struck by a car while walking on Route 30 between Marshalltown and the Meskwaki Casino. The investigation led police to William Richard Sanders the third, in Cedar Rapids. During the trial, Sanders testified that he had hit an object while driving, but did not realize what he had hit. Several witnesses testified that they had passed Shattuck on Route 30 and knew it was a man. This led the judge to believe Sanders knew it was a person but he became scared and just kept driving. Sanders was found guilty of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury or death. Sentencing is scheduled for November second.
Governor names new Emergency Management Division leader
Governor Tom Vilsack has named a new person to head the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management division. David Miller has been a top deputy in the agency since 1999, and has been serving as interim director since June.Miller says “it’s a wonderful opportunity” but he knows “it’s going to be a challenge.” Governor Vilsack made a public announcement of Miller’s promotion this afternoon. Vilsack says Miller has been an integral part of the state’s homeland security and emergency management team. Miller was hired by the agency in 1989 to be a coordinator for enhanced 9-1-1 service. For the past four years, he’s been the agency’s chief of staff. Miller began working in state government in the Department of Public Safety as a dispatcher. He left Iowa in 1984 to take emergency management coordinator jobs in Oregon and Montana before returning to Iowa in 1989. Miller, a Vietnam-era veteran, is a native of Sheldon. Ellen Gordon resigned her post as Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management administrator in June and is teaching in the Naval War College.
Bush daughters get good reviews at UNI
President Bush’s twin daughters are campaigning for their dad today at the three state universities. The event was not open to the media, but Jodi Freed, the co-chair of “U-N-I Students for Bush/Cheney”, talks about their message, saying they urged students to vote by mail and encouraged everyone to be involved in Bush’s reelection campaign.Freed having the teen family members campaign had a big impact, showing college students that they can be conservative and vote republican.Lisa Hamer another co-chair of “U-N-I Students for Bush/Cheney” describes what it was like to introduce the President’s daughters, saying it was “really cool.” She says she told them how she was nervous and she says they told her they were nervous too and that helped her. Hamer said it was a really personal speech and helped her get to know their dad as a person and not just a candidate.Jacob Pauli, a U-N-I Alum, sets politics aside and says he just wanted get a peak at the twins. He said, “I’m just here to see the Bush ladies.” He says he felt a little disappointed he wasn’t invited to hear them speak. There were some demonstrators outside the event, including Jesse Wozniack, spokesperson for Students for Social Justice. He says “We’re just trying to balance the perspective. I mean, undoubtedly the Bush twins are here to push their father and push the war, and so we’re just trying to show the other side of the picture.” The Bush daughters also visited the campuses of the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.
Two die in Tama County accident
A car accident in Tama County has left two people dead. Two people were killed in a two-car accident yesterday afternoon on Highway 30 at Montour corner in Tama County. Apparently, an eastbound vehicle crossed the center line and hit a westbound vehicle head-on. One victim has been identified as 75-year old Sam Peters of the Meskwaki settlement in rural Tama. It is not clear which vehicle Peters was driving. The other driver’s name has not been released. The accident remains under investigation.
