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Allianz second round sees lots of birdies

June 3, 2006 By

Plenty of birdies are expected again today during the second round of the Allianz Championship. 46 players completed the first day under par. Dave Stockton finished the opening round with a four-under 67.

Stockton says it will take a low score to win the tournament, he says probably 15 under par to have a chance. Stockton says it’s fun to play this course after getting “our heads handed to us” the last couple of weeks.

Graham Marsh had an opening round that included a stretch of four straight birdies and is at five-under. Marsh says without wind, the course is much easier. Marsh says everyone can putt well, so that’ll lead to low scores.

Marsh says the only thing that could make the scores go higher is the weather. He says if there’s some wind and the greens dry out, then the greens will get really fast. Marsh says the only thing that would slow them down is a little rain. Scott Simpson shot a 29 on the front nine and has the first day lead at seven under.

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Stuart postmaster becomes novelist

June 3, 2006 By

The woman in charge of the mail in a small, west central Iowa town has created some small town characters who’re playing major roles in her success as a novelist. Stuart, Iowa, postmaster Shirley Damsgaard had her first novel — “Witch Way to Murder” — published in 2005. Her second novel — “Charmed to Death” — was published this month and a third comes out in August.

All are part of a series that features a small town Iowa librarian with psychic powers. The main character’s grandmother is a witch. Damsgaard, who is 52, had an aunt who started writing at 16 and didn’t stop ’til she died at age 92. “And I had always wanted to do the same thing but I didn’t feel I wasn’t qualified, that I knew enough, that people would laugh,” she says. “You know, I had no background in writing as far as college or anything like that so at the encouragement my cousin, Ellen, up in Minnesota, I decided to give it a try and I’ve been extremely lucky.”

Damsgaard says at first she tried to write a romance novel, but it was terrible so she decided to try a mystery. About five years ago she enrolled in a writing class in Dubuque and that’s where she created what became her first published novel. Damsgaard starts out with a blue print for each book. “I have a general idea, a general outline but in the process of writing and I’m sure all the writers out there will understand this, but your characters surprise you.

You will start a certain scene and think the scene is going to go a particular way, but your characters kind of take over and a lot of times they will go in a different direction than you had originally anticipated,” she says. “That’s exciting when that happens.”

Damsgaard will read aloud from her novels during an appearance at the Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City June 22nd at seven p.m.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment

Motorcycle riders urged to dress for safety

June 3, 2006 By

Summer weather has Iowans thinking of taking to the road — and high gas prices have more considering the benefits of a motorcycle. D-O-T Driver Safety Specialist Scott Falb says a rider’s best protected when you don’t just dress for the weather but layer on some heavy gear like boots and jackets.

The proper attire for motorcycling is a helmet and “very durable clothing,” Falb says. He notes a lot of people who survive are still very badly injured by the abrasion caused by the roadway. Riders nickname those injuries “road rash.”

Because this climate includes several months of winter, roadway builders make the surfaces rough enough to provide traction for the 4-wheel and two-wheeled vehicles alike when there’s snow and ice. That safety design comes with a downside when a motorcycle rider “lays it down.”

Falb says once you get off the two wheels and go sliding, the same abrasive quality of the road that helps keep you upright normally “can really take a lot of flesh off.” He says riders of any age can also benefit from training courses offered by the state’s community colleges.

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Two die in Dubuque County accident

June 3, 2006 By

Two Dubuque County teenagers were killed in a two-vehicle accident in Dyersville yesterday (Friday) afternoon. The accident happened around 12:40 p.m. along U.S. Highway 20 at the intersection of 8th Street Southwest.

Sixteen-year old Damian Willenbrig of Peosta and his passenger, 15-year old Brittnay Clemen of Dyersville, were both killed in the accident. Willenbring was stopped at the intersection and was turning to go east on U.S. 20. He pulled out and was struck by a milk truck, driven by 47-year old Randy Bergfeld of Cascade. Bergfeld was not injured.

The accident caused westbound U.S. 20 traffic to be re-routed through Dyersville yesterday afternoon while emergency crews worked at the scene. The Iowa State Patrol is investigating the accident.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Party leaders say interest is high in primary election

June 3, 2006 By

Those who administer Iowa’s elections expect turn-out in Tuesday’s primary to be light, as a lower-than-normal number of absentee ballots have been requested — an indicator of interest in an election. But the leaders of Iowa’s Democratic and Republican parties insist interest in Tuesday’s primaries is high.

Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, sees signs of higher-than-normal interest among Democrats. “The governor’s race is very competitive and so I think that’s one place, but also in the first (congressional) district…there is a very competitive race…so I think we’ll have a strong turn-out there,” Pederson says.

Ray Hoffman, a Sioux City businessman who is chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, agrees turn-out will be heavy in that eastern Iowa congressional district because of the competitive races on both sides of the ticket for the seat that Congressman Jim Nussle is vacating. “The rest of the state will probably be a little bit on the lower side,” Hoffman predicts, although he contends there is some interest in statewide races for Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of State.

The polls open at seven a.m. on Tuesday and close at nine p.m. Contact your county auditor to find the precinct polling site where you are to cast your ballot.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Animal Rights leader happy with veto of puppy mill bill

June 3, 2006 By

Governor Tom Vilsack Friday vetoed language in a bill that would have allowed dog breeders and pet shops to classify dogs as farm products. The language would give breeders the same tax breaks they already get on food and other products used to raise the animals. Governor Vilsack says the language would have exempted the dog breeders from local zoning laws.

The executive director of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Tom Colvin, says he’s happy because the bill would’ve expanded the dog-breeding industry. He says they’re also concerned that looking at dogs as livestock would not give them the same attention they get now in cruelty cases.

Colvin says the change could’ve led to a big expansion of dog breeding. Colvin says there are already too many unwanted animals in the state and this would only add to the problem. Colvin led a campaign against the bill, and believes it had an impact. He says they had an organized effort to let people know about the ramifications of the issue, and Colvin says that led to a flood of calls to the governor from individuals and organizations.

Colvin says it comes down to one thing. Colvin says, “We don’t want dogs raised as hogs, or thought of as raising dogs as hogs in the State of Iowa.” But Amana dog breeder Joe Gerst says the Governor’s veto may actually lead to more animal cruelty. Gerst says the tax break may’ve enticed unlicensed and unregulated breeders to become licensed to qualify for the tax savings. Gerst says now the bad breeders have no incentive to clean up their act.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Queer Eye star visits Iowa for fundraiser

June 3, 2006 By

One of the stars of the cable TV show “Queer Eye for the Straight” guy is in Iowa for a fundraiser for the Iowa Pride Network — a gay rights group. The show uses gay men to give straight men and women a makeover of their clothing, food, living areas and other aspects of their life. Ted Allen is the food expert on the show and is in Iowa for the fundraiser. Allen recently released a cookbook.

Allen says he called the cookbook “Food You Want to Eat,” because it’s food he likes to eat and includes a mix of “American comfort food,” along with fish and salads that Allen calls an eclectic mix. Allen says the book has food you can whip up quickly and easily. He cites an example of a salmon dish that you can cook in 20 minutes, and Allen says you can cook it if you’re not a gourmet chef.

Allen says the new season of “Queer Eye” begins next week. He says its the start of their fourth season and begins with a series of shows shot in Las Vegas — shows he calls “the best we’ve ever made.” The people who’re the subject of the makeovers undergo some dramatic changes in their lifestyles.

Allen says the subjects seem to keep up the changes after the cameras go away.
Allen says many of the guys do stay with it and sign up with personal trainers and keep their weight down and do other things. Allen says though, there are other guys who he’s sure the minute they leave are back to piling dirty dishes in the sink. Allen says they can “lead a guy to culture, but we can’t stay all the time to make sure he sticks with it.”

Allen says he’s been to Iowa before and is happy to be back for the fundraiser at the Crave restaurant in West Des Moines. Allen says there’s going to be wine, cheese, fondue and he’ll do a book signing. The event cost 50 dollars per person. For more information, call the Iowa Pride Network at 515-243-1110.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment
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