The State Wrestling tournament got underway today at Vets Auditorium in Des Moines for the final time in Vets and the 33rd time overall. There were no major upsets as all the top rated wrestlers advanced.Among the first round winners today, top-ranked junior Jake Kerr of Oskaloosa at 152 pounds in Class 3A. Kerr is now 36-0 and says he finds someone giving their best effort every time out looking to end his undefeated streak.Kerr finished third as a sophomore last year. Defending heavyweight champion, Shane Spooner of Ankeny won his first round match against 8th ranked Mike Doran of Boone. Spooner says he also finds people gunning for him as the defending champ.Spooner says nothing is easy at this point.As for the team race, Iowa City West leads after the first round with 23 and a half, followed by Iowa City City High, Waverly Shell-Rock and Council Bluffs Lewis Central.
ISU women hit the road to Mizzou
The Iowa State women are on the road tonight in the Big-12 to play Missouri. The Cyclones are 9-4 in the conference race while the Tigers come in with a record of 3-10, but that doesn’t make ISU coach Bill Fennelly feel like the favorite. He says the Tigers have always played them tough home or away. Fennelly says the athleticism of Missouri gives his team problems.Iowa State is 19-5 overall.
Webster City educator wins award
An educator from north-central Iowa’s Hamilton County is named as the state’s 2005 Mid-level Principal of the Year. Becky Hacker-Kluver, principal of Webster City Middle School, says she’s elated by the news.Hacker-Kluver says it’s an honor to receive the award, which she looks at as a team award for Webster City’s teachers, support staff, administrators and parents. Troyce Fisher, executive director of the School Administrators of Iowa, explains the process that led to Hacker-Kluver winning the title. Every one of the 15 member districts can nominate a principal from their geographic area. The nominations go to a committee which choses three candidates to interview face-to-face and then makes a decision. Fisher says Hacker-Kluver is an exceptional choice. Fisher says Hacker-Kluver is “tireless” in her efforts to involve the staff in decision-making and has been known to literally go out and wake kids up who are sleeping in and bring them to school. She’s been principal at Webster City since 1999 and has also worked in schools in towns including: Algona, Britt, Kanawha and Corwith. Hacker-Kluver is now in the running for the national Middle School Principal of the Year.
Republican National Chairman says election has to start now
The newly-elected chairman of the Republican National Committee says the next presidential campaign should start today. R-N-C chair Ken Mehlman, the manager of President Bush’s re-election campaign, spoke in Des Moines over the noon-hour. “The victory in 2004 was won by planning in 2001 and 2002 and 2003,” Melhman says. “The 2008 election is 1,350 days away,”: Mehlman says. “I’m not sure how many days the Iowa Strawpoll is away or the Iowa Caucus is, but it’s all going to start here.” Mehlman also told Iowa Republicans to start laying the groundwork for the governor’s race that’ll be decided in 2006. “We need to make sure that that contested primary is about issues not personalities,” Mehlman says. “Let’s come together in the end and make sure we win this state for the republican gubernatorial nominee, whoever that person is, on election day.” Bob Vander Plaats) of Sioux City — one of the republicans who’s running for governor — was in the room for Mehlman’s speech. He shook hands with Melhman after his speech, and promised to abide by the “speak no evil” of another republican policy.
Baby boomers plan to work longer
Many Iowa baby boomers are planning to work later in life than their parents did, according to a survey by a financial services company. Peter Eckerline, a financial planner with Merrill Lynch, says many Iowans plan to continue working, not out of financial necessity, but because they want to. Eckerline says “A lot of them feel they get a lot of personal satisfaction, mental stimulation, and health benefits by working longer.” As health care costs rise, Eckerline says it doesn’t hurt that many of those people will get health insurance with their jobs. He says “retirement” has a different meaning now, as many Iowans plan to “retire” from their current jobs, only to start new ones. He says “It used to be you’d work ’til you’re 65 and you died when you were 72, and unless you had a bad case of longevity everything worked out. Well now I think people are retiring when they’re 55 and they’re living ’til they’re 100 and it’s certainly changed the dynamics dramatically.” The survey found only 17-percent of respondents hoped to give up work completely during their retirement years. It found 76-percent of boomers plan to work in retirement, while some plan to start their own business, and others will cycle between work and leisure. 67-percent say they’ll keep working primarily for mental stimulation, not for money.
Iowa needs win to keep NCAA hopes alive
The Iowa Hawkeyes hope to end a string of frustrating road losses when they visit Minnesota tonight in the Big Ten. To get over the hump coach Steve Alford says the Hawks must be good closers, something they have not done in the conference race. He says the major issue they haven’t overcome is closing out each half of a game strong. Minnesota is in the NCAA Tournament hunt. The Gophers are 7-6 in the league race, 17-9 overall and they have been especially tough in Williams Arena. Alford says the Gophers have been difficult to play at home and says they’re playing welland confident and are finding ways to win. Iowa is 4-8 in the Big Ten and 16-9 overall.
Scoring drought ends Cyclone winning streak
A lengthy second half scoring drought was a key factor as Iowa State’s seven-game winning streak came to an end at Texas A@M. The Cyclones went 13 and a half minutes without a field goal in the second half in a 75-59 loss in College Station.Iowa State coach Wayne Morgan on his post-game show on the Cyclone Network says you have to give the Aggies for playing hard and playing well. Morgan says they were ready for his team and did what they had to do to win. Iowa State falls to 7-6 in conference play and returns to action Sunday at home against Nebraska. Morgan says he’s proud of his team and proud of how hard they worked. He says the team had their heads up and want to get back on the winning track this weekend.The Cyclones are now 15-9 overall.
