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Crenshaw and Zoeller to play Alliance Championship

May 23, 2006 By

Two more big names have committed to play in the Champions Tour Allianz Championship next week in West Des Moines. Ben Crenshaw and Fuzzy Zoeller both committed to take part. Tournament director Jeff Starr who says not only are both popular with the fans but they also should be competitive.

Starr says Zoeller’s been playing well and Crenshaw showed he could still compete at the Masters. It will be Zoeller’s fourth straight appearance at the Allianz and the first for Crenshaw since he tied for tenth in 2003.

Fourteen of the top 20 money winners on the Champions Tour are already in the field and Starr is hoping for some late additions like Craig Stadler and Jay Haas. Starr says the golfers have until Friday to make a decision as to whether or not they’ll play. He says they like to see how they’re feeling before deciding to play.

The Allianz runs from May 29th through June 4th at the Glen Oaks Country Club.

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Waterloo to host USHL All-Star game

May 23, 2006 By

The Waterloo Black Hawks have been selected to host next season’s United States Hockey League Prospects/All Star Game. It is the first time Waterloo has hosted the event since back in 1996.

Black Hawk’s spokesman Doug Miller says it’s not a straight bidding process, but is rotated between the eastern and western division and they were going up against Indianapolis. He says it will be a great way to showcase Waterloo and Young Arena.

Miller says there will be other events surrounding the game, including a skills competition. He says they’re also trying to put together and old timer’s game.

Miller says the game will draw scouts from across North America as every team in the N-H-L and every college will be sending a representative. The All Star game is scheduled for January 23rd.

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Fallen law officers honored

May 23, 2006 By

Governor Tom Vilsack and Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Techau (Teck-ow) led a ceremony today (Tuesday) in Des Moines to honor Iowa law officers killed in the line of duty.

While no Iowa law officers lost their lives in the line of duty in the past year, Techau honored an officer that was killed 80 years ago, but left off the peace officer memorial when it was dedicated in 1985. Techau says Marshal Frank Mommer was killed in 1925 while investigating a burglary in Traer.

Governor Vilsack spoke about the dedication of the officers. Vilsack says the state has lost 132 officers through the years and says the state is “fortunate and thankful” we did not lose an officer this year. Techau and Vilsack placed a wreath at the memorial in honor of all the fallen officers.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Human Interest

Cedar Rapids apartment complex raided

May 23, 2006 By

There was an early (Tuesday) morning raid at a Cedar Rapids apartment complex, apparently targeting illegal immigrants. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office says the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested “several” people.

Neighbor Christine Hicks says about 30 officers dressed in black and carrying guns swarmed the area at about 6:45 this morning. Hicks says the officers raided about five apartments. Five people were led away in handcuffs, according to Hicks.

Neighbors like Hicks say they’re not surprised by the raid, and are hoping to move out of the complex. The apartment buildings are located on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Governor signs bill improving services for mentally disabled

May 23, 2006 By

Governor Tom Vilsack signed a bill into law today that advocates say will improve services for the mentally disabled. The bill establishes new income guidelines for services, increases reimbursement rates for mental health professionals and raised funding for counties that have a large increase in residents with disabilities.

Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson says the bill makes some important improvements.
Pederson says this is about “enabling and enhancing the ability of people who face some barriers in life to be able to live their lives more fully in the communities where they chose to live and work and contribute to our society.” Pederson says this is a victory for all those who’ve worked so long to get the changes.

Pederson says sometimes you lose faith that you can make something happen, but she says this sends the message that when hard work comes together and consensus is reached, the legislature will take action. Pederson says a lot of people had a hand in crafting the legislation. Pederson says literally hundreds of Iowans were involved in the work over the last three years to come up with the recommendations that were the guidelines of the legislation.

The chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Brain Injury, Kay Graber, says around seven thousand Iowans will suffer a brain injury this year and three thousand will need long-term disability assistance. Graber says falls are the leading cause of brain injuries. She says for younger people, car accidents are the biggest cause of brain injuries, but she says drugs and assaults are “fast creeping up.”

Graber says she’s lobbied for over 20 years to get brain injuries to be recognized as a disability. The legislation signed by the governor will provide funding for families that are not immediately eligible for Medicaid. Graber says there is a “brain injury waiver,” but people are often on a waiting list for a waiver for up to one year. Graber says we desperately need continuity of service from hospital care to community-based services. Graber says the continuity of service would mean a person doesn’t have to be institutionalized while they wait for a waiver for home care.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Man credited with saving fellow motorist from fiery crash

May 23, 2006 By

Authorities say the heroics of an eastern Iowa man in the early morning hours on Monday saved the life of another man who had crashed his car northwest of Cedar Rapids. The accident happened at about one A.M. Monday on Interstate-380, near Center Point.

Police say the car driven by Akol Ako crossed the median, rolled several times and burst into flames. Paramedics say Akol was knocked unconscious and would have died if Ken Marsh hadn’t pulled Akol from the burning car. “I just never really thought about doing anything but running over and trying to help him get out,” Marsh says.

According to Marsh, a rush of adrenaline gave him the courage to approach the burning car. “Flames were shooting up, I don’t know, probably about six foot above the car,” Marsh says. “I grabbed ahold of the top of the door and when I pulled it, the glass shattered…I could see the flames coming in through the dash, then. I just knocked the rest of the glass out and grabbed ahold and pulled him out.” The car was completely engulfed in flames within the next minute, according to Marsh.

“I’m just glad that I pulled up when I did to help the guy out,” Marsh says. Doctors at the University of Iowa Hospital have treated and released Akol. The crash victim, who lives in Nebraska, only speaks Sudanese, so Akol wasn’t ever able to actually speak to the man who saved his life.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Two of three leading Democrats debate in Governor race

May 23, 2006 By

Two of the three leading Democrats running for governor differed on campaign finances and state economic development policies during an hour-long forum broadcast over the noon-hour today (Tuesday) on K-U-N-I public radio.

Candidate Ed Fallon suggested the two issues are linked. “I do think the size of campaign donations makes a difference and I’ll give you once example,” Fallon said. “(Former Republican gubernatorial candidate) Bob Vander Plaats got $100,000 from the CEO of Wells Dairy. Now, he’s not the only one to have received significant contributions from Mike Wells and others with that company over the years. Wells Dairy is no stranger to getting nice tax breaks and even Values Fund grants from the state. I don’t think you can possibly say there’s not a connection.”

Fallon’s rival, Mike Blouin, was director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development when state officials put together a package of state grants and tax breaks to keep Wells Dairy in LeMars. “Ed, there you go again. To imply that someone from a company like Wells Dairy giving $100,000 to a college friend who had never held office — Bob Vander Plaats, he’s not my best friend, but he’s never held office in his life — that there’s somehow a connection between that and their (Wells Dairy) having gotten an award from a Democratic state administration to expand their facility is just plain wrong,” Blouin said.

Blouin helped create and hand out huge state grants from the Iowa Values Fund, a program Fallon has repeatedly called corporate welfare. “Maytag’s a good example, too, Mike. We all feel awful about what happened at Maytag,” Fallon said. “About $24 million to that company from the taxpayers over the last ten years, well, it got the C-E-O, who just retired, a $19 million severance package but did it really help the little guy? I don’t see that as having happened.”

Blouin struck back. “Ed, you did it again. To imply that Maytag got $27 million from the Iowa Values Fund is wrong,” Blouin said. “They didn’t get a dime from the Iowa Values Fund in Newton. Not a penny. They got tax breaks from previous years. They got tax breaks against research and development that any company in Iowa is entitled to not by a decision by the Iowa Department of Economic Development but by law.”

Fallon, likewise, shot back. “There you go again, Mike. I didn’t say $27 million. I said $24 million. If I ever said Values Fund either you misheard me or I slipped a word in out of place,” Fallon said. “There must have been a mistake somewhere in speaking or in hearing.” Blouin quickly replied: “Or in hearing.”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver did not attend the forum, which brought criticism from both Blouin and Fallon. “This forum was known about for a long time and I think it’s unfortunate that he chose not to be here,” Fallon said. Blouin agreed. “I, too, regret that Secretary Culver isn’t here and instead scheduled a press conference in conflict with this in western Iowa. That’s hardly a conflict that couldn’t be moved,” Blouin said. “It sounds like we won’t get together again because he’s not going to any more of these.”

The last face-to-face meeting of the three leading Democratic gubernatorial candidates was last Saturday. The primary is June 6th.

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