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ISU wrestling coach Sanderson leaving for Penn State

April 17, 2009 By

Cael Sanderson Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard has confirmed that head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson is leaving to take the Penn State job. Pollard released this statement:

  "Cael (Sanderson) shared with me today that he has accepted the head coaching position at Penn State. I am extremely saddened for our institution’s student-athletes, staff, alums and fans.

It is a difficult day for all Cyclones as we cope with the departure of a truly outstanding and accomplished student and coach. Cael’s unblemished collegiate record, Olympic glory and promising start as a coach all came while he was representing Iowa State University and he will forever be recognized as a Cyclone."

"During the last week, Cael and I talked numerous times and we had several in-depth and personal discussions about this decision. Those talks included me asking what, if anything, could we do to keep him at Iowa State.

 I also asked President (Gregory) Geoffroy, Bill Fennelly and Greg McDermott to reach out to Cael and they all did so. In the end, Cael said that he appreciated everything Iowa State and our fans had done for him but he believes winning a national championship will be easier at Penn State.

He said the high school talent in Pennsylvania and surrounding states is the best in the country and the kids in that area grow up wanting to wrestle for the Nittany Lions. He also said their overall athletics department resources are the best in the country."

"I know this has been a very challenging and emotional decision for Cael and his family. I encourage all of our fans to put aside their disappointment and, instead, respect Cael for making a decision that he believes is in the best interest of his family. We are sad to see him leave, but we certainly wish him the best."


"We will begin a national search for his replacement immediately and focus our full attention on identifying and recruiting a new coach who can add to the Iowa State championship legacies of former coaches Hugo Otopalik, Dr. Harold Nichols and Jim Gibbons."

Sanderson went undefeated in his collegiate carreer at Iowa State in winning four national championships. He also won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. Sanderson took over as Iowa State’s head coach in 2006 following the retirement of Bobby Douglas.

 

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Iowa enters spring game with optimism about season

April 17, 2009 By

The Iowa football team closes out spring drills on Saturday with a final practice. With a large number of regulars back from a 9-4 team there is plenty of optimism heading into the 2009 season. After taking over this past season junior Ricky Stanzi has firmly established himself as the starting quarterback.

Offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe says the next step for Stanzi is to eliminate mistakes, with the number one thing taking care of the football. O’Keefe says turnovers were a big factor in the games Iowa lost. He says one thing was evident, when they took care of the football, especially the quarterback, some good things happened.

O’Keefe says a big plus for Stanzi is the presence of an experienced offensive line. He says the line is where everything begins and ends, and he doesn’t see that ever changing. 

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Triple-A report says gas prices will stay low this summer

April 17, 2009 By

A new report predicts gasoline prices will remain relatively low in Iowa and nationwide during the upcoming summer driving season, which actually runs April through September. Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the low prices are partly due to a drop in the worldwide gas demand.

“The global demand for oil may fall to its lowest level in five years due almost entirely to the global recession,” White says. “The I-E-A which forecast a drop in the global demand of oil to almost two-point-four-million barrels per day. A drop in this magnitude would mark a nearly three-percent fall in the global demand for oil compared to last year.”

The projected national average is $2.23 for a gallon of regular-unleaded gasoline. White says the price for a gallon of gas in Iowa is almost always cheaper than the national average. “Here in the Midwest, we often see lower prices since many of the states across the country have to sell reformulated fuel blends which do cost more,” White says.

“Here in the Midwest, we are not required (to do so) since we do not have any air quality problems. Usually during the summer months, our prices can be ten to 15-cents lower than the national averages.” White says there are several reasons why the projected price is so low.

“U-S motorists just continue to drive less and that of course is due to the economy and that, combined with weaker consumer spending and significant oil and gasoline stockpiles, are all contributing to the lower prices we’re seeing now at the pump.”

The price for a gallon of gas in Iowa is nearly half of what it was a year ago. The statewide average is now $2.01 a gallon. In July of 2008, prices in Iowa hit the record high of $4.02. 

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Unemployment rate goes up again in March

April 17, 2009 By

Iowa’s unemployment rate went up again in March. Iowa Workforce Development spokesperson, Kerry Koonce, says March unemployment climbed to 5.2%, up from 4.9% in February. Koonce says the state lost an additional 11,000 jobs between February and March and "that’s having a huge impact on our economy."

She says 2,900 of the lost jobs were in construction, and the losses come at a time of year when the state is normally leveling off or adding jobs in those seasonal jobs. The leisure and hospitality industry cut 1,700 jobs in March. Koonce says financial services was the only sector to add jobs.

She says the financial services industry added 400 jobs, with most of that for mortgage processors working on modifying loans. Koonce says the government sector had a zero gain and zero loss of jobs. Koonce says unemployment has not been this high since 1987.

Koonce says even if the economy does pick up — it may take awhile before the jobless number goes back down. Koonce says jobs and unemployment are what’s called a "lagging indicator" — meaning the recession may end, but it takes longer for the jobs to catch up. She says it could be into 2010 before we see a change in the jobs situation.

Unemployment for March one year ago was 3.9%. The U.S. unemployment rate was 8.5% in March.

See the entire jobs report here . 

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Iowa Supreme Court rules against retroactive murder conviction appeals

April 17, 2009 By

The Iowa Supreme Court has turned down the appeal in two murder cases that could have opened the door for other convicted murderers to get a new trial. In the Woodbury County case, Joel Goosman appealed his first-degree murder conviction in the 1992 killing of Chad Mackey based on the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision in the 2006 murder case of Milo farmer Rodney Heemstra.

The Supreme Court overturned the Heemstra murder conviction in the shooting death of neighbor Tom Lyon, ruling the crime of willful injury should be merged with the charge of murder. Heemstra was given a new trial and later was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter. Heemstra has since been released from prison.

Goosman’s conviction came after he was involved in an argument that led to Mackey’s shooting and he argued the Heemstra ruling should be used in a post-conviction appeal. That would mean he was convicted of a crime that no longer should be considered part of his offense. The Iowa Supreme Court says its ruling in the Heemstra case clearly involved a change in law and not a mere clarification. Thus, Goosman was convicted of first-degree murder under jury instructions, which properly stated the law at the time of his conviction, so he can’t go back now and raise the issues on appeal.

The court also issued a similar ruling in a Black Hawk County case involving the 1991 first-degree murder conviction of William Scott.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller’s office issued this response to today’s Supreme Court rulings:

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office argued in both cases that the decision to limit the retroactivity of Heemstra complied with due process because that decision marked a major change in the law of how certain felony murder cases could be tried. Both Goosman and Scott were fairly convicted of brutal killings and are properly serving life sentences under state law. The Attorney General believes the Court reached the correct decision in denying new trials to Goosman and Scott.

The Attorney General anticipates that appeals from about two dozen other inmates serving life sentences for murder who are raising this same issue will be rejected as a result of these decisions. Today’s decisions are a relief for the families, friends and neighbors of murder victims in communities across Iowa who were affected by these cases.

See the Iowa Supreme Court opinions here .

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Iowa State ready for spring football game

April 17, 2009 By

Iowa State fans will get there first look at the Cyclones under new coach Paul Rhoads during Saturday’s spring game in Jack Trice Stadium. Rhoads says they will play a normal game with four quarters and will match up the number one offense against the number two defense and the number two offense against the number one defense.

Rhoads says they will make it as much like a real game as possible, but will keep it "fairly vanilla" when it comes to what they run.

Rhoads says he likes ending spring practice with a game as you have a crowd and excitement and it creates more of a gameday atmosphere, which he says his team needs.

What does he want to see in the game? He says the fundamentals of the game are what he’s looking for to see if the team is doing the things they have been taught throughout the spring.

Rhoads says the spring game will not decide starting spots for next season. He says very few spots will be set, and he says that’s not to try to scare the team, it’s just too early to declare that the positions are set.

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Angerer fights through early setbacks to be Hawkeye leader

April 17, 2009 By

After shaking off the injury bug that kept him off the field early in his career senior linebacker Pat Angerer is now be counted on as one of the leaders of the Iowa defense. The Bettendorf native had a break-out season in 2008. He led the Hawks in tackles and also tied for the team lead in interceptions with five.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz who says Angerer battled through some tough times and challenges before coming out of spring ball as number two and then by the end of the season was a top performer and a leader. He says it’s part of the college experience as a football player and a student to have some ups and downs.

Ferentz says Angerer is a great example of a guy fighting through adversity and making a big contribution to the team. Defensive coordinator Norm Parker says with standout linemen Mitch King and Matt Kroul graduating a veteran linebacking corps will need to provide leadership.

Parker says a football coach is like a kindergarten teacher, as each year you have a new class and a new chemistry. In football he says you look for a new leader to take over. The Hawkeyes conduct a final spring practice on Saturday.

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