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Some groups of gay couples seek marriage license in Iowa

May 4, 2009 By

County recorders in Iowa granted marriage licenses to more than 450 same-sex couples last week. It was a week ago today, when an Iowa Supreme Court ruling which legalized gay marriage took effect.

Iowa has no residency restrictions for marriage, so same-sex couples from other states are coming to Iowa to marry, even though their marriages will not be legally recognized in their home state.

On Friday, a charter bus carrying 17 same-sex couples from Missouri arrived in Iowa City where the couples obtained marriage licenses from the Johnson County Recorder. Ed Reggi of St. Louis organized the trip. "These are committed couples that have been together, like myself, for ten-plus years," Reggi says, "and I think it was just a way to kind of say we’re going to go somewhere that gives us that marriage license."

Adjaane Jackson of St. Louis says she and her partner were surprised gay marriage was legal in Iowa. "Iowa kind of has like a — I mean, from what I’ve heard — kind of a small town (reputation)," she says. "I would never have thought that Iowa would have done it before St. Louis," The group of St. Louis area residents avoided the mandatory three-day waiting period by filing applications for the marriage licenses earlier in the week so they all got married on Friday at a Unitarian Church in Iowa City.

Ten same-sex couples from Minnesota are heading to Iowa to get married today. The couples left Sunday afternoon from All God’s Children Church in south Minneapolis.

One woman said, "I realized this is the woman that I want to spend my life with and she asked me to marry her and I said yes and now we’re going to Iowa to make it legal." The couples are getting married at a sister church in Davenport. The unions won’t be legal when they get back to Minnesota.

(John Mickelson of KTLK in Minneapolis contributed to this story.) 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Cornell names Bell soccer coach for men and women

May 4, 2009 By

Derek Bell has been named the new soccer coach at Cornell College. Bell had been an assistant for the women’s team at Wisconsin-Stevens Point the past two seasons. Bell played at Knox College and at that time Cornell was a member of the Midwest Conference.

Bell says he’s long respected the school and he played in that type of environment and says it’s a great place to coach and an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. Bell will serve as head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams. He says they teams will end up traveling a lot together, and it’s something he says happens a lot in Division 3 programs.

Bell says there are advantages to coaching both teams. He says it allows a concentration of effort into soccer at the school, and he says you have to divide your time wisely. Bell says he loves coaching both men and women and it is exciting to be able to coach both.

Bell says as the sport gains popularity the talent pool in Iowa is becoming larger. He has been part of the Wisconsin Olympic development program and he says Iowa’s programs have been expanding at all levels. 

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Summer road construction season helped by stimulus dollars

May 4, 2009 By

The summer road construction season is kicking into high gear. Dena Gray-Fisher with the Iowa Department of Transportation says one-billion dollars in existing funding and $358-million in federal stimulus money will keep road crews busy. "Iowa will certainly experience a record setting level of highway and road construction this season," Gray-Fisher said.

This year, the legislature approved Governor Culver’s I-JOBS plans, which will provide an additional 115-million dollars for road and bridge construction throughout the state. The I-JOBS money will be spread out over the next three years after this season. Gray-Fisher says all of those dollars still won’t be enough to cover a shortfall in the D.O.T.’s long term plan.

"We really feel this is a good short term measure in meeting the gap that exists right now in this state," Gray-Fisher said. "But, we have a long term need over the next 20 years. We’ll need to continue to look and work with the legislature in finding a long term solution." Governor Culver has rejected calls for a hike in Iowa’s gas tax to boost funding for road and bridge repairs, but made it clear he might be open to that discussion in the future.

Gray-Fisher says motorists are bound to hit construction zones this summer in just about every corner of the state. She says some of the bigger projects include a major reconstruction of the Interstate 35/80 corridor near Des Moines, continued work in Council Bluffs and on Interstate 80 through Iowa City. Motorists can track all of the state D.O.T. projects on-line at 511 website .

Gray-Fisher says the website that’s also used for winter road conditions will include information for motorists to plan their trips around the summer road construction.

 

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Boy hit by car and killed in Mason City

May 4, 2009 By

A ten-year-old Mason City boy was killed when he was hit by a car on State Highway 122 Saturday night. Mason City police say Darrion Rambo was pronounced dead at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa after the accident that happened shortly after 9 o’clock.

Police say 18-year-old Kyle Leedom of Sheffield was driving westbound in the left lane and struck Rambo as he was trying to cross the highway in the middle of the block. The Iowa State Patrol and the Mason City Police Department say the investigation into the accident continues.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Effort underway to make motorcyclists more visible

May 4, 2009 By

More motorcycle riders are hitting the streets as the weather warms up, and the Iowa Department of Transportation is advising them to "Ride proud, dress loud." Toni Kerkove in the D.O.T.’s office of driver services, says the idea is to where clothing that will get you noticed when you’re riding your motorcycle.

She says it’s for motorcyclists as well as motorists because if the motorcycle drivers can become more conspicuous in traffic, both will benefit. Kerkove says there are plenty of ways to make yourself more visible on the two wheeler.

Kerkove says there are a number of different fabrics, including the fluorescent green, or material with fluorescent striping, and there are vests that you can wear that won’t make you feel too warm.

You can also put fluorescent striping on your helmet. While some riders might think a yellow vest doesn’t make them look cool while riding — Kerkove says it beats the alternative of being hit. She says it’s more important to get home safely than to be fashionable.

And Kerkove says there are a lot of highly visible clothing items that still look good and provide you with extra protection. Kerkove says making yourself more visible is just one part of safe riding.

Kerkove says people just starting to ride, or getting back into riding, should take the motorcycle safety course as it will teach you ways to ride to be better seen, and ways to avoid accidents. Kerkove says people in cars also need to keep their eyes open and be aware of motorcycles to avoid accidents.  

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Marshalltown schools cancel classes over H1N1 virus

May 4, 2009 By

The Marshalltown Schools have cancelled classes for the week due to the H-1-N-1 flu. Superintendent Marvin Wade says more probable cases of the flu prompted the decision to call off school. He says there are six probable cases among school-age people in the county.

County health officials spent most of Saturday discussing the situation of more probable cases in Marshall and Tama County.  Wade says the temporary cessation of classes is what’s recommended in this situation.

It’s a precautionary measure to close all schools and all activities and people are encouraged to avoid going in areas where there are large groups of people. It’s hoped the shut down of Marshalltown schools for a week will help get past the flu.

Students are not to return to classes before Monday, May 11th. Staff should check late in the week to see when classes will resume. Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center has moved to a higher level of access to its facilities. Only the main entrance and the Emergency Room entrance are to be used.

Only one immediate family member will be allowed per patient in the facility. Of the 39 tests for the flu sent out last week from Marshall County, six are labeled as probable.

Governor Culver signed a declaration of a public health emergency in the state, after the first case of H1N1 flu was confirmed by the C.D.C.

Filed Under: Education, Health & Medicine

Baseball league lets everyone play

May 4, 2009 By

A new baseball league for children with disabilities in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska is about ready to debut. Bruce Froendt, spokesman for the Allplay Foundation, says Miracle Baseball League will start at the end of this month.

Froendt says, "It gives children who might not otherwise have a chance to play in the various leagues around town to experience baseball."

The new league will play on a new "barrier-free" $1.5-million field just south of Omaha. He says any child with any impairment can play on the new league. "Autism, Down’s syndrome, spinal cord injuries, various birth defects, visual impairment," he says. "The children can be in wheelchairs, they can be using walkers or crutches or braces."

Unlike other Little League-type games, Froendt says there is no emphasis on competition. "Every child is going to get a uniform and be placed on a team," he says. "They will get up and whether they hit the ball off a tee or whether they are able to hit it from a coach pitch, they’re going to take off to first (base)."

There’s an old adage that applies here, he says, about it not being whether you win or lose but how you play the game. "Every kid is safe at every base and every kid scores at every inning," Froendt. "At the end of the game, every game is tied so both teams win. It is to get the kids outside and do the things that they see their brothers, sisters and friends do all the time."

They’ll play eight summer league games and seven more in the fall at the new field at Seymour Smith Park in Ralston, Nebraska. The field is barrier-free — with a rubber surface — so if a child falls, he or she won’t be seriously hurt. It’s especially useful for children in wheelchairs or those with poor vision. Registration is underway for players and for buddies who will help the players throw the ball or help them bat.

Filed Under: Human Interest Tagged With:
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