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Iowa moves into top 25 rankings

September 28, 2009 By
Iowa vs. Penn State at Beaver Stadium

Iowa vs. Penn State at Beaver Stadium

The Iowa Hawkeyes are back in the Associated Press top 25 after a victory at Penn State. The Hawkeyes are 13th after posting a 21-10 over the fifth ranked Nittany Lions. Iowa overcame an alarming start that saw Penn State jump out to an early 10-0. In fact the Nittany Lions scored on a 79 yard pass on their first play from scrimmage.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says they blew a coverage, but then were able to hold them to a field goal and played great defense the rest of the way. Ferentz says the Hawks remained confident despite the bad start. He says they believed in each other and he is impressed with they way they support each other.

Ferentz says if they continue to support each other, they have the chance to become a good football team. The biggest play was made by defensive end Adrian Clayborn who blocked a Penn State punt and returned it for a touchdown to give the Hawkeyes the lead for good.

(photos courtesy of Jason Uhlmann)

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Iowa electric coops lobby legislators over energy bill

September 28, 2009 By

The Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives plans to deliver 75,000 postcards to the offices of Iowa’s two U.S. Senators today. Association spokesman, Alan Urlis, says they’re delivering the cards as debate is scheduled to being on the American Clean Energy and Security Act. One of the key provisions of the bill is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions under what’s called “cap-and-trade.”

Urlis says the postcards were signed by co-op members and they want Senators Grassley and Harkin to know about their concerns about the affordability of electric bills with the passage of the “cap-and-trade” bill. He says they want to be sure that emission controls are fair to the midwest. Urlis says the midwest faces the potential of much higher penalties than other areas of the country.

He says a larger portion of the electricity in the midwest is produced at coal fired plants, and there is less nuclear and hydroelectric energy than there is on the east and west coasts. Urlis says the midwest would end up paying an “unfair” amount under “cap-and-trade” compared to those other areas. Urlis says the association is in favor of using more renewable energy.

Urlis says there needs to be a balanced approach to all sources of energy from coal, to solar to nuclear. And he says the approach has to be able to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that’s being released into the atmosphere. Urlis says it’s particularly important for Iowa’s elected leaders to watch out for the midwest as the cost of the bill is unknown. Urlis says the cost estimates the increase in electric costs start at the cost of a postage stamp.

He says on the other end of the spectrum, the Heritage Foundation says it would be more than four-thosuand dollars a year, while the Treasury Department says the increased energy cost would be $1,700 a year. Urlis says representatives of the electric co-ops will be in Washington, D.C. today to talk with legislators about the bill.

Filed Under: Business, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Des Moines police searching for driver in fatal hit and run

September 28, 2009 By
Devin Fry

Devin Fry

Des Moines police say they’ve found the vehicle they believe was involved in a hit-and-run accident that killed one teenager and injured two others. No charges have been filed.

It happened late Saturday night. When cops arrived shortly before midnight, two teenagers were lying in the street. Thirteen-year-old Devin Donald Fry was taken to a hospital for surgery, but he died Sunday morning.

A seventeen-year-old girl was critically injured, but police say she is “expected to survive.” Another 15-year-old boy was hit, too, but he suffered only minor injuries. The S.U.V. was going west on a major city street when it hit the three teens who were walking across the street.

A reward of up to a thousand dollars is being offered for tips that lead to the arrest of the driver involved.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Be careful what you reveal on Facebook

September 28, 2009 By

Iowans are wise to tell a trusted neighbor their plans before they leave town for a few days, but it’s not so smart to announce the trip ahead of time on Facebook. Drew McClellan, an online marketing consultant from Des Moines, says using online social networking websites like MySpace or Twitter to announce you’re going on vacation is almost like asking thieves to break in.

“People need to remember that they’re basically talking in a very crowded room where they don’t know everyone,” McLellan says. “You wouldn’t stand at a party and shout out your Social Security number or tell a bunch of strangers you’re going on vacation, so, the same precautions should take place in Facebook.”

McLellan, one of the top 50 marketing bloggers in the world, says these websites are great places to connect ourselves to millions of people, but we should keep in mind, most of those people are strangers. He says if you post something in your status, it’s likely not just your 57 chosen friends who’ll see it.

“What you need to remember is, as soon as someone comments or reflects on what you’ve said, all of the sudden that opens the window for everyone that they’re connected to to also see what you’ve said,” McLellan says. “Depending on your privacy settings, you could actually have your profile set so that everyone in the world can read what you’re saying.” McLellan, who owns McLellan Marketing Group, says the lessons we taught our children about not talking to strangers may also apply to us as grown-ups in terms of using this sort of website.

“There have been instances, here in the Midwest and all over the country, where either on Twitter or Facebook, somebody has posted that they’re going out to dinner or that they’re going on a vacation and unfortunately, they’ve come home and found that their house has been burglarized,” McLellan says. “Basically, they put a ‘Come on in!’ sign on their front door.” Even making a seemingly-harmless online mention of dinner plans, he says, could be giving clever crooks all the information they’ll need to rip you off.

Filed Under: Human Interest

Fall colors are on schedule

September 28, 2009 By
Pine Lake fall colors

Pine Lake fall colors

An Iowa forestry expert says the annual show of fall colors is right on schedule this year. Jeff Goerndt is with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “This seems to be a pretty normal year,” Goerndt said. “Most of the time, you’re going to see the best fall color in northern Iowa about the last week of September through the second week of October. Then, down in the southern part of Iowa, it’s going to be around the second to the fourth weeks of October.”

The most important ingredients for brilliant fall color are sunny days and cool nights. “That tends to create more red pigment in the leaves,” Goerndt explained. “When we have more warm nights and cloudy, foggy, rainy days…that tends to dampen the fall color.” The northeast corner of Iowa is considered the hot spot for fall foliage viewing because of the variety of trees in the area.

Hard maple trees, which produce brilliant oranges and reds, are only found naturally in northern Iowa. “The oaks are probably the second most brilliant. We have oaks everywhere in Iowa and they’ll create anywhere from a red to an orange color,” Goerndt said. Hickory and elm trees tend to produce yellow colored leaves. The Iowa DNR operates a “fall color report” on their website and through a telephone hotline: 515-233-4110.

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation Tagged With:

Culver touts passenger rail expansion

September 27, 2009 By

Governor Culver is pushing for extension of passenger rail service between Des Moines and Chicago, and from Dubuque to Chicago, but some of the folks who live along the Amtrak route in southern Iowa worry they’ll wind up losing passenger routes to those northern hubs.

Governor Culver started last Wednesday at the train depot in Creston. By midday the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Train made a stop in Albia where the high school band waited over an hour for the train to arrive.  Culver made a brief speech, standing on the train’s back platform, and he mentioned those new passenger routes.

AUDIO: Culver in Ottumwa – 7 min MP3

“Iowa City to Chicago, for example, to give those students an opportunity to go back and forth between Chicago and Iowa City,” Culver told the crowd in Albia, “to allow people to commute, perhaps, into Chicago to do business there or vice versa.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Business, Environment & Conservation, Politics & Government, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hawkeyes upset Penn State again 21-10

September 27, 2009 By

The Iowa Hawkeyes fell behind 10-0 before rallying and scoring 21 unaswered points to knock off fifth rated Penn State at Happy Valley.  The Hawkeyes made their comeback defensively as their first points of the game came on a safety and the go-ahead points on a blocked punt by Arian Clayborn that he  returned 53-yards for a touchdown.

The Hawkeyes move to 4-0 with the win and 1-0 in the Big Ten.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,
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