Iowa State looks to get a winning streak going on the road at Nebraska tonight (Tuesday) after breaking a 28-game road losing streak Saturday. Cyclone coach Wayne Morgan says the win boosted their confidence, but they won’t go into tonight’s game thinking a win on the road is assured. He says they feel good about themselves and have some confidence that if they play well, they have a chance to win. But he says they’d prefer playing at home to playing away. Morgan says they know the game won’t be easy. He says Nebraska has a good team, but they feel if they can go and battle, then they have a good chance. Nebraska coach Barry Collier says the Cyclones have finally found a way to pull games out.He says I-S-U is playing a little better in their recent win streak, but he says they were playing well in their opening conference games, and just lost some close games down the stretch. Collier was asked if he’d rather not be playing I-S-U now that they’re on a winning streak. He says they’re a very, very, good basketball team and that’s what you face up and down the league, so he says you just have to go and take the schedule and be ready to play each game. Iowa State enters the game at 11-8 overall and 3-5 in the conference, while the Huskers are also 3-5 in the Big 12 and 10-9 overall.
Questions surround death of Ames teen
Questions surround the death of a central Iowa boy. The body of 15-year-old William Clark of Ames was found Saturday under a bridge in Webster County, near Stratford. An autopsy is planned. Anyone who may know anything about the death is asked to call the Webster County Sheriff’s Department. Foul play is not suspected. The death is believed to be accidental.
Food celebrated in Check-out Day
An unofficial holiday passed Monday, and even if you live in Iowa, you might not have realized it. Mandy Studer is the wife of a farmer and an advocate for “Food Check-Out Day.” She says it’s the day that we’ve worked enough to make enough income to pay for all of our food for the year. Studer farms with her husband near Wesley, and says Food Check-Out Day’s early arrival on the calendar is telling. She says it’s two months before they’ve earn enough to pay their tax bill, so it lets us know how fortunate we have it here. Studer works with the Iowa Farm Bureau and other groups to promote the Check-out day. She says some people outside of agricultural states like Iowa complain about the amount of money spent on farm subsidies — but she says people don’t realize those subsidies are part of what keeps food inexpensive. She says it (subsidies) trickle down and people don’t realize it when the go into stores how safe and affordable food is, considering all the stuff the food has to go through. Studer says most people take it for granted that you just go to the store to get food, and says farmers are underappreciated. She says she was a “city girl” until she met her husband and she says farmers are very much underappreciated. The United States Department of Agriculture says Americans spend just 10-percent of their annual income to put food on the table, while other countries can spend more than 50-percent.
Cancelled gun show could lead to lawsuit in Fayette County
A gun show that was shut down at the Fayette County Fairgrounds has prompted threats of a lawsuit and a possible change in a West Union city ordinance. City officials forced the closing of a tool and gun show at the fairgrounds on the weekend of January 28th because the organizer, Keith Nemecek of rural Winthrop, failed to get a permit required of transient merchants and a one-thousand dollar bond. Nemecek threatened the city council with a lawsuit last night, claiming the law was selectively applied to his show, and violated his constitutional rights. A member of the fair board agreed, saying the law is not enforced at other times, and he says the city’s actions drive away business. Nemecek also presented the council with an administrative notice, claiming they have to pay him 75-thousand dollars in damages or face a federal civil rights lawsuit. Nemecek says he lost thousands of dollars in revenue, advertising and promotions when the show was cancelled. The council has refused to pay Nemecek, but is considering a change in the transient merchant ordinance.
Senator Grassley says cuts in Ag program not all bad
President Bush’s proposed budget would cut agricultural subsidies by more than a half-billion dollars, but Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says that’s not all bad. Grassley chairs the Senate Finance Committee and says the way it is now, far too few farmers get far too much of the federal money. He says some farm programs need to be capped and he’s tried unsuccessfully to do so for three years. Grassley says “I’m glad the President’s proposing that. It’s something I think not only saves money…but it also makes the farm program more fair for young farmers.” Grassley says “When ten-percent of the farmers get 72-percent of the benefits of the farm program, what it does is, it drives up the price of farmland or cash rent so young farmers can’t get started farming.” The average age of American farmers is 58 years old and without new farmers, Grassley says, we’re in trouble. Some farm groups are protesting the 580-some-million dollars in cuts to the farm subsidy programs which Bush is proposing, but Grassley says the package needs further study. Grassley, a republican, also sits on the Senate Budget Committee which will hold a hearing tomorrow (Wednesday) on the President’s fiscal 2006 budget proposal. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, a democrat, says President Bush’s call for huge budget reductions in Department of Agriculture initiatives “is out of touch with the reality in rural America and reflects the misplaced priorities found throughout the president’s budget plan.” Harkin says the budget “throws into jeopardy the progress made in the recent farm and child nutrition bills and threatens critical farm, rural development, conservation, crop insurance, nutrition and other assistance.” Harkin adds: “The federal budget cannot be balanced on the backs of farm families and rural communities, and the president should not try to.”
Nebrask man dies in accident that may be weather related
A fatal crash that may have been caused by the weather claimed the life of a Nebraska man on Monday. The accident happened about 40 miles northeast of Council Bluffs, near Dunlap, around 8 A.M.The state patrol says a westbound semi driven by 44-Daniel Head of Dows City came upon a vehicle driven by 45-year-old Steven Brashears of Lakeside. He was in the wrong lane but as he tried to get back into the eastbound lane he collided with the semi, which in turn collided with another vehicle driven by 35-year-old Bartley Kelley of Fremont, Nebraska. That, in turn, hit a fourth vehicle driven by 36-year-old Roger Meeker of Logan. Kelley died in the accident, Meeker was airlifted to Creighton University Medical Center for treatment of major injuries. The first two drivers were treated and released from the hospital in Denison.
Brooklyn woman dies in car accident
An East-Central Iowa woman was killed in a car accident in Iowa County Monday morning. 58-year old Jessie Carmichael of rural Brooklyn was southbound on “M” Avenue when her vehicle was struck head on by a vehicle driven by Brent Svendby. The 26-year old Svendby apparently lost control of his vehicle due to icy conditions and crossed the center line. Carmichael’s vehicle was then struck in the rear by another vehicle attempting to avoid the collision. Carmichael was pronounced dead at the scene. Svendby and his passenger, Hillary Svendby, were transported to University Hospitals in Iowa City. The driver of the third car was not injured. Carmichael had been employed by the Williamsburg School District for the past 13 years where she worked in the media center of the junior and senior high schools.
