The Iowa Conference race looks like it will be up for grabs this season. After just three weeks no conference team is unbeaten and preseason favorites Wartburg and Simpson both opened league play with a loss. Two of the teams that opened with wins matchup this week as Loras visits Central.Loras coach Bob Biere says he’s been in the Iowa Conference since 1986 and he can’t every remember a time when after week three every single team in the conference has one loss. He says the Wartburg loss was a big shocker as was Simpson’s. He says while a number of teams can feel they have a shot at the title the balance also means every week is a test. He says that’s the message he’s giving to his team, you have to climb all eight rungs of the ladder, and climb them one at a time.During a 2-1 start Biere says the Duhawk defense has led the way, as he says so far people have not been able to run the football against them. He says that’ll be tough to maintain against Central.Central is coming off a win over arch-rival Simpson.
Edwards subs for Kerry on Iowa campaign trail
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry canceled his appearances in eastern Iowa today — running mate John Edwards spoke, instead, at a town hall meeting in Davenport this afternoon and Edwards will headline a six o’clock rally in Cedar Rapids. Campaign aides say Kerry’s voice is strained and he needs to rest it in advance of next week’s debate with President Bush. Kerry spoke in Columbus, Ohio, this morning, however, and attacked President Bush for saying a “handful” of terrorists are responsible for the violence in Iraq. “CIA estimates, the reporting, the ground operations and the troops all tell a different story,” Kerry said. Kerry said a report from a deputy of the provisional coalition authority in Iraq indicates “we are losing the peace” and Iraqis “are earning money throwing grenades at American soldiers.” Kerry is repeating his assertion that President Bush “rushed to war without a plan to win the peace.” Kerry accused the President of forcing one military aide to retire early because that aide said a greater number of troops were needed to keep order in Iraq. “You have a mess in Iraq, and that’s not the kind of leadership this nation deserves,” Kerry said, his voice cracking at the end. At this afternoon’s town hall forum in Davenport this afternoon, Kerry’s running mate John Edwards focused on fighting the war on terror. First Lady Laura Bush is scheduled to attend an invitation-only event in Eldridge, Iowa tomorrow morning.
Two Southwest Iowa lakes to get makeovers
You may’ve heard of extreme makeovers for people and homes — but this weekend a couple of southwest Iowa lakes are gonna get the aquatic version. Andy Moore of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says they plan to renovate Bartlett and Folsom lakes near Interstate 29. Bartlett says the renovations are needed to get rid of an unwanted fish. He says they’ve found white perch in the lakes, which are not native to Iowa or the central part of the United States. He says those fish can cause some real problems, so they’re going to go in and kill them. Moore says they have to kill all the fish in the lake to wipe out the white perch. He says the main thing is to stop the species from getting any more of a foothold in the state. Moore isn’t sure how the unwanted fish got into the lakes. He says they don’t know where the fish came from, although he says they do know they’re in Nebraska and have become a problem there. He says they may’ve been brought in by an angler or when may’ve been in the Missouri River when it flooded. Moore says put a chemical into the water to kill off all the fish. He says it’s a chemical made from the root of a plant in South America and when they put it in the water it keeps the fish from getting oxygen. Moore says the chemical does not kill the other aquatic life. Once all the fish are dead, the D-N-R will restock the lakes with game fish. He says it will take about three weeks for the lakes to detoxify, and then they’ll restock them with bluegills and catfish this fall and large mouth bass next spring. He says it’ll a year and a half or so before the fishing gets good again. Moore says the fish that’re killed off will be left to naturally decompose. Moore says the chemical to kill off the fish costs around 10-thousand dollars and it’ll cost another thousand for the fish to restock the lakes.
Electric coop officials meet in Wisconsin
More than 500 officials representing rural electric cooperatives in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin are meeting in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to talk about issues and their congressional priorities. Kent Pauling is the general manager for Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative, based in LeMars, Iowa, and says a key portion of their supply is hydroelectric power from WAPA, the Western Area Power Administration. Pauling says the cooperative gets about a third of its power from WAPA and any change in its rate will affect all the distribution co-ops that own NIPCO. Key to that hydro-power is the level of water in the Missouri River, shrunk by years of drought, and there’s a dispute right now over a move by Montana to cut releases from upriver dams, which states like Iowa say would cut their power generation. Pauling says they’re also talking about the energy bill in Congress, and don’t know how it may affect them in the long run. Things are fluid, and once it gets to the floor for debate there’s no way to know what will happen. Pauling says the coops don’t want their rates affected by the energy bill. People attending the meeting represent 85 cooperatives supplying more than one-point-six Million customers.
Man arrested in Omaha may be linked to Iowa crime
A man in custody in Omaha may be linked to a crime in Iowa. 24-year-old Shawn Bynum was arrested after a bank robbery in west Omaha on Wednesday. Police say a car used in the robbery was reported stolen from an apartment complex, one clue that led them to arrest Bynum there. And they say forensic evidence links him to a string of sexual assaults there, and one in the Des Moines suburb of Clive. Bynum, who had been a military police officer at Offut Air Force Base in Omaha in recent years, was booked on four counts of first-degree sexual assault, use of a weapon to commit a robbery and kidnapping. Clive police say they’re waiting for the reports from Omaha detectives before taking the case to the Polk County attorney’s office for possible charges in the rape case in Iowa.
Perry host big celebration for new immigrant museum
Musicians, authors, poets and even a well-known game show host are gathering in the central Iowa town of Perry this weekend for the opening of a new immigrant museum. Perry native and entrepreneur Roberta Green Ahmanson says the 1904 Carnegie Library had fallen into disrepair so she had it restored to become the new facility. Green Ahmanson says the museum’s purpose is to “tell the story of the immigrant experience in small town America,” how immigrants shaped our land and how the land shaped them. The facility’s full name is “Hometown Perry, Iowa, A Museum Honoring the Immigrant Experience in Small Town America.” Green Ahmanson says it’s more of a campus than an individual structure, as much of downtown Perry is part of a community showcase. She says the buildings are artifacts and the library-museum itself tells the story of the meaning, history and importance of libraries in literacy, as Iowa is the most literate state in the U.S. Green Ahmanson says a host of events are planned through the weekend including concerts, readings, lectures and walking tours. On the roster: U.S. poet laureate Ted Kooser of Ames, authors James Davison Hunter, Jan Karon and Stephen Bloom, platinum-selling Latin singer Jaci Velasquez, baritone singer Jubilant Sykes and “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak. For more information, call (515) 465-2518 or surf to “www.hometownperryiowa.com”.
Drake starts play in the PFL
The Drake Bulldogs open Pioneer Football League action this weekend at home against Morehead State. Drake is 1-2 after a 33-23 loss to Wisconsin-Platteville and three Bulldog turnovers were a major factor. Drake coach Rob Ash says they also gave up big plays after the turnovers, which led to scores. Ash says the Bulldogs cannot afford to make similar mistakes this week, as he says Morehead State is a great team on defense and has struggled on offense. Ash expects it to be a tough low-scoring battle.Ash feels good about their chances in the PFL race. He says they’re two-thirds of the way there with the defense and kicking game doing well. He says they just need to get the offense going.
