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Iowa State O-line has more size

August 18, 2009 By

If size is any indication the Iowa State offensive line should have a productive season. Only one of the five projected starters weighed in at less than 300 pounds and that is junior center Alex alvarez who checked in at 295 pounds.

Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads says the difference in size from January to now is that the "size moves" and moves with quickness. Rhoads likes the potential of the group, though he says depth needs to be developed. He says the first unit is "pretty good" but they need someone behind them that won’t be a hole that the defense can attack.

The lone senior is guard Reggie Stephens and he hopes the line can help the Cyclone offense become a high scoring unit. Stephens says they want to go out and outscore the opponent and not come off the field quickly. Stephens says the Cyclones want to run the ball effectively out of their new no-huddle spread offense.

Stephens says people confuse the spread with not being physical, but he says that’s something they have emphasized. Iowa State opens on September third at home against North Dakota State. 

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Grinnell expects improvement in football

August 18, 2009 By

Grinnell College football coach Max Hawsey expects the Pioneers to show improvement this fall. Grinnell finished 3-7 in 2008, his first season at the helm, and Hawsey says a class of 14 seniors should help the program take the next step. He says it’s a big and talented group with good leaders on offense and defense.

Hawsey says the leaders know what to expect now and are doing an excellent job. Hawsey says most of the experience is on defense.

Hawsey says the players have worked hard in the off-season to get ready. He says that’s a tribute to the upper classmen who have bought into what they are doing and came in to camp in good condition.

Haswsey says a big focus coming into this season has been improving team speed. He says they got tougher and more physical last year, but didn’t match up with some others teams in speed. The Pioneers open the season at home September fifth against Cornell College.

 

 

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New website lets you search all 99 counties for real estate info

August 18, 2009 By

A new website pulls together real estate information from four sources in all 99 Iowa counties and makes them available in one place. Shelby County Auditor, Marsha Carter says it’s called the "consolidated real estate information website’ or CREW, and includes information from assessors, auditors, recorders, and treasurers.

Carter says the website is still a work in progress, but says you can do statewide searches by typing in a name. She says you don’t have to go to each county to search, you can go to this website. Carter says the legislature had asked about the possibility of such a website back in 2005, and that’s what got the idea going.

Carter uses her name as an example of how it will work. She says you can type in "Marsha Carter" and get all the properties statewide linked to that name. Carter says there were a couple of issues they had to resolve to get the website going.

Carter says recorders and treasurers already had a statewide website, but the auditors and assessors did not have such sites, and they had to develop those sites so they could have the information available. Carter expects the site to get a lot of use. Carter says they’ve been calling it a "one-stop shop" from the start and they believe attorneys and realtors, or anyone working on an estate will be able to go in and look up the information without having to look up each individual county.

Carter says they recieved a $200,000 grant from Access Iowa to get the site going and that will fund the operation of the site for awhile. You can see the site here .

 

 

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Grassley on annual Ambassadors Tour

August 18, 2009 By

A summertime tradition that was launched in the mid-1980s as an effort to buoy Iowa financially during the Farm Crisis is underway again this week. Diplomats from nearly 60 countries are visiting more than a dozen Iowa communities to learn about the state, its products and its people.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley started what he calls the Ambassadors Tour and he’s serving as something of a tour guide for the visitors on their statewide trek."My goal in hosting this tour is nothing more than to promote exports and international job opportunities, whether it’s for agriculture, manufacturing or our services," Grassley says.

"Made in Iowa is a good thing to be advertising. We don’t do enough of it." He says the tour emphasizes Iowa’s people, as visitors see the state’s renowned workforce through factory and business visits while staying overnight in the homes of local families.

Grassley says, "I brag about our work ethic, our innovation, our openness, our friendliness and, of course, our productivity." The tour is offered every other year as Grassley invites each country with an embassy located in Washington, D.C. to send to Iowa their ambassador and spouse.

This is the 12th tour and it’s taking the dignitaries to: Huxley, Carroll, Ralston, Storm Lake, Wall Lake, Sac City, Fort Dodge, Webster City, Iowa Falls, Ames, Nevada, Marshalltown, Newton, Ankeny and Des Moines. The diplomats are overnighting in the homes of Iowans in Carroll, Fort Dodge and Ames.

 

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business, Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Grassley says he’s not been dishonest on "end of life" stance

August 18, 2009 By

So-called "end of life" provisions in the health care reform package before Congress are stirring much debate at town hall meetings in Iowa and nationwide. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s against the government being involved in such provisions.

Some accuse Grassley of being dishonest as he supported government involvement in end of life decisions when he voted for a bill dealing with Medicare Part D in 2003. Grassley disagrees. "No, the people that’re saying that are dishonest because if you go back and read what that says in 2003, it was all related to pain and hospice and that sort of care," Grassley says.

"It dealt only with hospice and it had nothing to do with saving money; it had to do with taking care of the sick." Grassley says he met with President Obama last Thursday at the White House and they discussed the negative response many people in town hall meetings are having to the so-called public option, or a government-run, health insurance plan.

"I told the president then that he needed to make public whether or not he could sign a bill that didn’t have a public option in it," Grassley says. "He didn’t have to take a position against a public option but would he sign a bill that wouldn’t have a public option in it and I thought a statement from him would be very helpful."

 He says he doesn’t know if that public option proposal is now dead, though Obama did make it clear, he would sign the health care reform package into law without it.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

Powerball and Hot Lotto jackpots grow

August 18, 2009 By

The Powerball jackpot has been growing since late June and has climbed to an estimated $245 million for Wednesday’s drawing. In addition, Iowa Lottery C.E.O. Terry Rich says the Hot Lotto jackpot is up to an estimated $16.4 million, the second largest jackpot ever offered in that game.

"I think very few times in lottery history has both the Hot Lotto and the Powerball had these kind of jackpots simultaneously," Rich said. "It’s almost like the Powerball moons have aligned together to offer two great options for players." Wednesday’s estimated Powerball jackpot ranks as the 10th largest in the history of the game.

Powerball tickets are sold in Iowa and 29 other states. Hot Lotto, which is essentially a mini version of Powerball, is play in Iowa and 12 other states. "Iowa’s actually had six different Powerball jackpot winners and six different Hot Lotto jackpot winners, so we’ve actually had quite a few for the size of our state," Rich said.

Lottery retailers will be busy leading up to Wednesday’s 10 p.m. drawings. When jackpots rise, so do the number of players.

Rich says the big jackpots encourage more people to play as part of an office pool or try what he calls the "39-dollar option." "That option is when people buy every single Powerball number and then do the quick pick on the other numbers, so they are guaranteed a winner by at least having the Powerball," Rich said.

The increased jackpot and expectations for a boost in ticket sales also come with a warning from lottery officials to play responsibly.

"Kind of a popular lottery saying is ‘remember to play with your head rather than over your head,’" Rich said. Iowa’s last Powerball jackpot winners were Tim and Kellie Guderian. The couple from Fort Dodge claimed a $200.8 million jackpot in October 2006.

 

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Missouri River Authority meeting in Sioux City

August 18, 2009 By

The Missouri River Authority of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will meet today  in Sioux City. The panel’s spokesman, Bernie Hoyer, says they are gathering somewhat out of turn this time as they usually meet right before the Missouri River Association of States and Tribes.

"This time, we’re not meeting in association with that at all," Hoyer says. "We’re meeting to try to listen to people and understand what the uses are and what the benefits they’re getting from it are and what the benefits could be. We’re really trying to formulate some sort of a vision for what Iowa wants on the river." Hoyer says they have decided to stay engaged with other states and Missouri River interests.

"The state of Iowa needs to be a player and we need to generate this vision and this is the way to do it," Hoyer says. "You’ve gotta’ start talking." There was some discussion at the last meeting about dropping membership in MORAST, due to financial strains. Hoyer says they decided it’s in the best interests to stay with the group.

"The state’s having a lot of financial problems but I think the consensus was we need to stay with this," Hoyer says. "We need to be engaged with the other states that are also trying to gain benefits from this river." Hoyer says they are still a long way from reaching a conclusion on the state’s benefits and best uses for the Missouri River.

 

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation Tagged With:
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