Michigan State coach John L. Smith says despite the numbers the Spartans are still gearing up to stop the run in Saturday’s matchup with Iowa. The Hawkeyes ground game has struggled during a 2-2 start and is averaging only 85-yards per game. But Smith says the Hawks won’t change their personality after only four games. He says offensively they’re a team that’s gonna line up and kick your tail. He says they can’t let Iowa do that. Smith says it takes a while for an offense to jell when using so many new players. He says everyone goes through some changes and he says that sets you back.Drew Stanton has taken the quarterback role after serving as a back-up to Jeff Smoker. Stanton is as much a threat as a runner as he is a passer and has bounced back from off-season knee surgery. Smith says Stanton is getting more confident every day. He says anything Stanton does to favor the knee is subconscious and he has to get rid of it. Smith says the knee is more of a factor when Stanton throws, as the knee is fine when he runs on it. Michigan State is 2-2.
Morningside and Briar Cliff to meet on football field
A young version of the long-time rivalry between Morningside and Briar Cliff is played out this weekend when the schools meet this weekend on the football field for the second time. Morningside is ranked 20th in the latest NAIA top 25 after the Mustangs suffered their first loss of the season to Midland Lutheran last weekend. In its second season of varsity football Briar Cliff is off to a surprising 2-1 start and coach Dick Strittmatter says this rivalry has helped increase interest in the program. He says it’s been good for the team, the school and Sioux City. Strittmatter says while happy with the two wins he has been in coaching long enough to know the program has a ways to go. He says he knows what they have to do and says they can’t look ahead beyond Morningside. Since the program began Strittmatter has concentrated defense and it is that unit that has made the Chargers competetive. He says offense starts out slowly anyway, especially when putting a new team together. Morningside won the first-ever meeting a year ago 21-3.
Congressional candidate promises to create 10-thousand jobs
Stan Thompson, the republican running for Iowa’s third district congressional seat, is promising to create 10-thousand jobs in five years if he’s elected. Thompson says he analyzed total employment in the district, and 10-thousand jobs equals about three percent growth. Thompson says there are a number of changes the federal government can make to spur job creation.Thompson suggests expanding the tax credits for college tuition by two-thousand dollars per student per year to ensure Iowa’s workers are better educated. And Thompson says already-existing federal programs aren’t benefitting Iowa. Thompson says just one of the Treasury Department’s “New Market” tax credits for business development in low- and moderate-income communities have been awarded in Iowa. Thompson says there are nine-billion dollars worth of those credits left, and he’ll press to get some for Iowa. Republicans often say it’s businesses, not government, that create jobs. Thompson says his plan addresses government regulations because they impact job creation. Thompson says he supports closing tax loopholes that encourage companies to send jobs overseas, as well as legal reforms that would help reduce legal costs for companies. Thompson, a republican lawyer from Des Moines, is running against democratic Congressman Leonard Boswell of Des Moines. Boswell campaign spokesman Mark Daley says “Stan’s plan is weak and completely overshadowed by Congressman Boswell’s record. His goal of 10,000 new jobs over five years pales in comparison to the 84-thousand jobs Congressman Boswell helped create in his first four years in Congress and the 112-thousand jobs he secured in the highway bill for the next six years.” The third congressional district includes Des Moines, Newton, Grinnell, Knoxville, Pella and Oskaloosa.
Tama County dig fails to turn up body
A dig in Tama County to find evidence related to a homicide investigation has ended. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Tama County officials started excavating an old well on a farm earlier this month after receiving credible information that human remains may have been disposed of at the site. The contents of the well have been examined and no evidence of human remains was found. One bone was recovered and will be sent to the D-C-I lab for analysis, though it is believed the bone is from an animal. No details about the homicide case involved are available as the source of the information leading to the dig did not know the identification of the body that was supposedly disposed of at the site.
Research group criticizes the state’s handling of the recession
A liberal research group is criticizing state officials for the way they handled the recent recession. An “Iowa Fiscal Partnership” study — a joint effort by the Child and Family Policy Center and the Iowa Policy Project — evaluated how the 50 states handled finances over the past few years, and found Iowa cut spending and taxes more than others. Charles Bruner, executive director of the Child and Family Policy Center, says only Michigan and South Carolina cut budgets more than Iowa did between 2001 and 2004. Bruner says Iowa was “clearly out of the mainstream in how states responded to the fiscal crisis.” Bruner says during that three year period, most states raised taxes, by an average of four-point-three percent. Bruner says many states raised their cigarettes taxes, but sales taxes, income taxes and corporate income taxes were hiked in other states, too. By comparison, Iowa taxes were cut by just over two percent. Bruner says Iowa should have done the opposite so spending to help needy families during the recession.Bruner says it’s not that you want to either cut services or raise taxes, but he says it’s better to raise taxes during a recession. Bruner says polls last spring showed Iowans would have supported an increase in the cigarette tax. But statehouse republicans say they did the right thing by tightening the belt and not raising taxes.
Illegal aliens captured after truck runs out of gas
Federal agents rounded up a dozen men in central Iowa this morning who were in the country illegally. Estela Biesemeyer, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says a state D-O-T crew came upon a pickup truck that had run out of gas on Interstate 80 in Jasper County between the Newton and Grinnell exits. The individuals didn’t speak English so agents were dispatched. Biesemeyer says they were part of a human smuggling ring that was transporting the men from Arizona to Chicago and points in North Carolina and New Jersey. She says there was no problem taking the men into custody. There were 12 men, all in the country illegally. Most of them are believed to be from Mexico, at least one was from El Salvador. All 12 are now in federal custody. Biesemeyer says “human smuggling is a serious crime so we’ll continue our investigation and see where it leads us.”
Iowa looks to cut losses on offense and turnovers
Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz says there are a couple of issues for the Hawkeye offense as they prepare for Saturday’s game against Michigan State. First is turnovers, The Hawks had five against the Wolverines. The second is avoiding big losses, quarterback Drew Tate has been sacked on numerous occasions and running back Jermelle Lewis has been tackled for some big losses. He says when you’re struggling a bit there’s a tendency for guys to want to make a big play. Ferentz says sometimes you have to take a loss and not back track and make it worse. He says Lewis may be pressing a little bit, and not just taking what’s there. Ferentz says sophomore quarterback Drew Tate continues to improve and will make fewer mistakes as he gets more experience. Ferentz says they’re going to ride with the mistakes he makes and he says it probably won’t get any tougher in the next two weeks. Ferentz says he admires the way Tate has handled things and says he expects Tate to continue to get better and grow as they move on. Ferentz says Tate probably won’t make the same mistakes again as he moves on. One bright spot has been the play of tight end Tony Jackson who was impressive against Michigan. Ferentz says Jackson made some fantastic plays and that’s a positive and says one of the solutions to the offensive problems is to spread the ball around.
