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UNI faces big challenge against BYU

August 27, 2008 By

Over the years the UNI football program has posted a number of wins over division one foes but the Panthers have hever beaten one that is ranked in the top 25. They will get another chance on Saturday when they open the season at 15th ranked BYU.

Coach Mark Farley says this is the best team that UNI has ever played and the way it will help them, time will tell. But he says preparing for the best team should only help them be ready for the rest of the season.

Farley says he does not like the term "nothing to lose". "It’s hard to say what good comes of something like this unless you go out there and play a very strong football game," Farley says. He says they hopefully will have a more prepared football team at the beginning of the season after playing this game.

There was a time when one-double-a teams could sneak up on division one opponents. Farley believes that all changed with Appalachian State’s upset of Michigan. He says nobody will sneak up on anyone anymore after that victory. 

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Grinnell volleyball team looks for more wins

August 27, 2008 By

The Grinnell College volleyball team looks for bigger and better things in 2008. After winning just five matches last year, coach Tom Sonnichson has one of the bigger squads he’s had in his 12 years at the helm. He says the teams that have done well have had 15 or 16 players, and they have a little more than that. Sonnichson says getting everyone enough playing time could pose a problem.

There are no seniors on this years team, one that prepared itself well for the season ahead. Sonnichson says the team came back in very good shape, and no one was injured, which allowed them to accelerate things in practice.

The 2008 season begins this weekend at Dominican University in Chicago.

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Burned body in Audubon County identified

August 27, 2008 By

The State Medical Examiner’s office in Ankeny has identified the body found at the scene of a fire Sunday afternoon in western Iowa’s Audubon County. Officials say the body is that of 46-year-old Allen Klocke of rural Audubon.

Klocke’s body was found in one of two adjacent structures on his property northeast of Audubon. The cause of the fire, which was reported Sunday at around 4:45 p.m., remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office.

Burial services for the Audubon County farmer will be held Thursday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Audubon.  

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Exhibit features White House traditions

August 27, 2008 By

An exhibition of 200 years of White House traditions and memories makes its world debut in Iowa next week. The items are on loan from the Smithsonian Institution and the State Historical Museum in Des Moines will be the display’s first host. Museum spokesman Jeff Morgan says the exhibit is called "The Working White House."

Morgan says the artifacts from the inner workings of the White House tell the story of all the people who’ve worked there from the current Bush administration all the way back to William Taft. He says the exhibit focuses on the maids, cooks, butlers, doormen, electricians and other people who kept the nation’s most famous mansion running efficiently.

Morgan says the items include: menus handwritten by the White House calligrapher for State Dinners, invitations to White House events, a silver-plated crumb tray and the gray gloves worn by Robert F. Kennedy as pallbearer at his brother John F. Kennedy’s funeral. The exhibit opens next Friday, September 5th, and there’s a special event that evening.

Morgan says Roland Mesnier, the White House’s executive pastry chef from 1979 to 2004, will be there to serve treats he’s made with culinary arts students from Des Moines Area Community College. They’ll be preparing five different desserts that were originally created and served at various White House functions and serving them at a free reception that will start at 5:30 PM. The exhibition will be on display at the museum through March 1st. For more information, visit the facility’s website .

 

Filed Under: Human Interest, Politics & Government

Iowans do well on SAT’s

August 27, 2008 By

The Department of Education says potential college students in Iowa did well on the S-A-T college entrance exam. Department director Judy Jeffrey says more students take the A-C-T college entrance exam, but the results on the S-A-T are still good.

Jeffrey says only three percent of Iowa students take the S-A-T test, but Iowans tend to have some of the highest scores in the nation on the test there has been an increased in the last 10 years in those that do take the test.

Iowans scored a 612 in math, compared to the national mean score of 494, 603 in critical writing, compared to the national mean of 502, and scored 582 in writing, compared to 494. Jeffrey says the S-A-T is used more by eastern schools and just 1,333 Iowa students took the S-A-T.

Jefferey says those students are probably just keeping all their options open by taking the test. The number of Iowa students who took the S-A-T did increase by one-point-nine percent this year. You can find the complete results of the tests on www.collegeboard.com .

Filed Under: Education

Pelosi speaks to Iowans, briefly addresses disaster

August 27, 2008 By

Iowa Congressmen Dave Loebsack and Bruce Braley listen to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The top Democrat in the U.S. House spoke this morning with Iowa Democrats at their party’s national convention in Denver, spending only a few seconds addressing the plight of spring-time storm victims in the state. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke for about 11 minutes, beginning by pointing out Iowa’s three Democratic Congressmen — Leonard Boswell, Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack. They were seated near the front of the room.

"I want you all to know, and I’m sure you do know, but from our perspective, how hard they are working to help get the disaster assistance that Iowa so sorely needs," Pelosi said.

The crowd applauded. Pelosi added the three were working with Iowa’s governor, who she initially — mistakenly — identified as "Chet Edwards." There is a Chet Edwards — he’s a member of congress who Pelosi often mentioned as a good candidate for vice president.

Pelosi continued, recognizing Boswell in particular. "Thank you, Leonard, for your great leadership."  Pelosi then talked about the Iowa Caucuses, this convention in Denver and issues like health care for children. Pelosi wrapped up with a thank you, the crowd applauded, she stepped away from the microphone, and then doubled back.

"Oh, and did I tell you that at the invitation of the delegation and your governor I’ll be visiting Iowa on September 8 to see firsthand what the challenges are so that I can follow their lead in doing what we have to do to meet our responsibility to the people of Iowa?" Pelosi asked. Then, the three congressman surrounded Pelosi to talk about the trip. The discussion lasted about a minute.

Peggy Whitworth of Cedar Rapids then approached Pelosi.  "We need to have her see what has happened to our community and I know it’s hit all over the state, but Cedar Rapids really took it on the chin — business, government, the cultural community — (have) all been devastated," Whitworth says. "We need to have the federal help. This is something that only the federal government can do."

A few moments later, Congressman Braley told Iowa repoters there is plenty of federal disaster aid available today, but Braley accuses the Bush Administration of red tape and foot dragging in getting that help to Iowans. Click on the audio link below to listen to Pelosi.  Read more about it over on the blog.

AUDIO: Pelosi speaks to Iowans. 14:00 MP3

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Gymnastics schools seeing increased interest

August 27, 2008 By

Hundreds of kids were in the crowd to welcome home Olympian Shawn Johnson. Gymnastics schools in Iowa are reporting increased enrollment, likely the result of Shawn Johnson’s high profile performance in the Olympics. The 16 year old from West Des Moines claimed one gold and three silver medals.

Holly Wengert, operations manager at Triad Gymnastics in Ankeny, says parents started calling after observing their own children absorbing the television competition, and then attempting their own flips off furniture.

“They started the gymnastics (competition) immediately after the opening ceremonies,” Wengert says, “so it was that first week of the Olympics we started hearing the phone ring a lot more.”

Gymnastics programs report a 20 to 30% jump in enrollment. Wengert says they’re adding more classes and staff to meet the demand. “Just to keep that sort of Olympic drive going and giving (students) things they’re striving for…we’re kind of bulking up the evaluation system that we use,” Wengert said.

The idea is to break down the individual skills kids need to master before attempting what they’ve seen on television. “It is much easier, once they’ve seen things on T.V., to say ‘this is what we’re working for, now we have to back it down and do the skills that lead up to that.’ They relate to those things that they see on T.V., but we’ve got to get them to that point first,” Wengert said.

At Sapphire Gymnastics in Urbandale, an instructor reports “nonstop talk” about Shawn Johnson and her teammates. 

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