From the monthly archives:

January 2008

A former Iowa standout has two reasons to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. Offensive lineman Bob Kratch spent time with both teams during his eight year NFL career. The 1989 third round draft pick was part of the New York Giants team that beat the Buffalo Bills in the 1991 Super Bowl and six years later played for the New England Patriots when they lost to the Green Bay Packers.

Kratch played five years with the Giants and three with the Patriots and still knows a few people on each team. He says it’s exciting to see both playing in the big game.

Kratch played for both of Sunday’s head coaches when he was with the Giants:Bill Belichek was the defensive coordinator and Tom Coughlin coached the wide receivers. He says Coughlin was a very vocal coach who fined players and used discipline, but it sounds like this season Coughlin has changed his demeanor. Kratch says today’s players are probably less likely to put up with a tyrant coach that Coughlin was.

He may have played for both teams but as a native of Brooklyn, Kratch is not sitting on the fence when it comes to choosing sides. Kratch says he is a "Big Blue Giants fan," as his career was mostly in New York. He predicts the Giants will win by a field goal. These days Kratch resides in Watertown, Minnesota. 

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Lawmakers jump on Drake bandwagon too

by admin 01/31/08 5:25 PM

It seems everyone is rallying around the Drake Men’s Basketball team. The Bulldogs extended their winning streak with a victory over Creighton last night. The achievement was recognized in the Iowa House today by Urbandale Republican Scott Raecker.
Raecker said Drake athletes were recognized at the game for their academic achievements. Seventy percent have [...]

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Iowa women look for fifth straight win

by admin 01/31/08 5:24 PM

The Iowa Hawkeye women hope to build on a four-game winning streak when they visit Northwestern. The Hawks are 6-3 in the Big Ten and play a Northwestern team that is 4-16 overall and still in search of its first conference win.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder says they now have to go on the [...]

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Simpson women in control of Iowa Conference race

by admin 01/31/08 5:24 PM

The Simpson College women are in control of the Iowa Conference basketball race. The Storm are 17-1 overall and at 9-0 in the league race have a three game lead in the loss column heading into Saturday’s game at home against the University of Dubuque. Despite a number-eight national ranking coach Brian Niemuth says [...]

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Bill would give low-income Iowans break on utility costs

by admin 01/31/08 5:22 PM

Opponents squared off at the statehouse today over a bill to give low-income Iowans a break on utility bills. The Iowa Department of Human Rights wants Iowa’s rate-regulated utilities to charge the needy a lower rate for power. Lana Ross with the Iowa Community Action Association says low-income Iowans are struggling to pay their [...]

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Harkin not sold on stimulus package

by admin 01/31/08 5:21 PM

Senator Tom Harkin is still not sold on the economic stimulus package that cleared the House earlier this week and has the president’s blessing. The senate has begun discussions and changes are in the works. The Senate Finance Committee is backing a plan that would extend unemployment benefits and ensure poor American’s who’re on [...]

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Iowa Lottery proposes changes to answer security concerns

by admin 01/31/08 2:40 PM

The Iowa Lottery is proposing some changes to the way it verifies winning tickets following a discussion with state legislators. Iowa Lottery executives met with the government oversight committee after the State Ombudsman threatened to use legal action to obtain access to lottery consumer complaint files. The ombudsman requested the records as part of [...]

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