February 9, 2012

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Iowa officials ask fans to celebrate responsibly

October 9, 2009 By
Iowa football fans at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa football fans at Kinnick Stadium.

Authorities in Iowa City are hoping football fans celebrate responsibly leading up to a rare night game at Kinnick Stadium tonight. Parking lots outside the stadium open at 7 a.m., meaning some tailgaters could spend 12 hours drinking alcohol before the kickoff. Chuck Green is the University of Iowa’s Public Safety Director.

“Unfortunately, we expect that some people will start drinking early, then go to sleep and then wake up and drink again before even coming to the game,” Green said. “It is a concern that too many people are going to consume too much alcohol.” It’s homecoming weekend at the University of Iowa. The 12th-ranked and undefeated Hawkeye football team hosts Michigan for a 7 p.m. kickoff. More than 70,000 people are expected to attend. Green says law enforcement officers want fans to have fun, but also get home safe.

“We certainly do have a plan. We’re not sharing the total details with the public, but I’m working very closely with Chief Hargadine at the Iowa City Police Department…to make sure that post-game, we’re doing the best that we can to keep things safe and secure,” Green said. Fans are being warned that post-game tailgating and alcohol consumption will not be permitted on U-I property.

“We’ll certainly be encouraging people to leave after the game and shutting down any activity that we see…post-game tailgating or alcohol consumption,” Green said. The University of Iowa will be in the national spotlight tonight. The game is being televised by ABC.

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With: ,

Football Friday Night scores October 9th

October 9, 2009 By

Thursday, October 8
Class 4A
Mississippi Athletic Conference
North Scott, Eldridge 27, Davenport Assumption 13
Mississippi Valley Conference
Cedar Rapids Kennedy 28, Waterloo West 0

Friday, October 9
Class 4A
CIML-Central
Ankeny 24 at Indianola 9
Dowling Catholic, WDM 44 at Urbandale 8
Johnston 36 at Southeast Polk 14

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Football Friday Night, Sports

Iowa looks to go 6-0, ISU faces tough road test

October 9, 2009 By

The 12th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes try to move to 6-0 when they host Michigan on Saturday night. the Wolverines’ spread option is led by freshman quarterback Tate Forcier.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says Forcier has great presence, great feel and is a playmaker who can get out of trouble with his feet. Ferentz says he has a good knack and instinct. This will be a battle of two teams that have excelled on special teams. He says it is important in every game and Michigan has good kickers and they do a good job on special teams.

The Hawkeye defense will need to slow down a Michigan offense that likes to spread the field. He says they have to stop the run first and says Michigan uses the option to keep you honest.

The Iowa State Cyclones visit 16th ranked Kansas in the Big-12. The Jayhawks are led by quareterback Todd Reesing who is dangerous in a number of ways. Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads says Reesing is a “dangerous, very talented football player” who is equally scary running or passing. Rhoads says the Cyclones will use an extra defensive back at times against Kansas.

Rhoads says a good pass rush is vital against the Jayhawks.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: , ,

IASB says some districts don’t have reserves for budget cuts

October 9, 2009 By

Republicans say the 10% budget cut called for by Democrat Governor Chet Culver will force school districts to raise property taxes to make up the shortfall. The governor is urging local districts to dip into their cash reserves instead of raising property taxes. The the president of the Iowa Association of School Boards, Jack Hill, says that may not be possible.

Hill says while the governor can ask districts to dip into reserves, not every school district has the reserves available. Hill says schools have few options and may have to raise property taxes to avoid major cuts. He says the makeup of the budget doesn’t leave many “nooks and crannies to go into.” Hill says the overall picture doesn’t tell you the story of each district.

“If you look at the aggregate of cash reserves in the state, they’re quite large. But not every school..is a part of that pot,” Hill says. The executive director of the I.S.E.A., the state’s largest teachers union, Mary Jane Cobb, says local districts have about $400-million in savings.

Cobb says the money is there in sort of a “rainy day fund” kind of situation and the rainy day is here and it’s time to use those cash reserves to meet their program needs. Cobb says the districts should do what they have to do to make sure they maintain the quality of education.

Cobb says the kids in school didn’t choose to come to school in a tough economic situation and they still need to get a quality of education. “If there’s something a district can do to tighten its belt, that’s fine, but what they need to do is look at the quality of the services they’re providing to the kids first,” Cobb says. The 10% budget cut the governor is asking for could mean a $238-million reduction in state aid to K-12 schools.

Filed Under: Education, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Near deadly Cedar Rapids fire started by child

October 9, 2009 By

Authorities in Cedar Rapids say a three-year-old boy started a townhouse fire Thursday that sent his one-year-old sister to the hospital. Cedar Rapids Fire Department spokesperson Greg Buelow says the fire started in an upstairs bedroom.

“It was obviously started with either a lighter or matches by a three-year-old,” Buelow said. “The one-year-old was still in the room and had to be rescued by firefighters.”

The kids’ grandmother, 47-year-old Lesia Funchess, was in the first floor living room when the fire started at 4:30 p.m. She and a neighbor tried to extinguish the fire and rescue the one-year-old but could reach her. The baby remains hospitalized with what were initially reported as “life threatening” injuries.

“Typically due to medical privacy, we are not able to release any information, Buelow said. “However, the family wanted to let the public know that her condition is improving.” Firefighters, wearing oxygen tanks, crawled through flames and smoke to rescue the baby. Buelow says the incident should serve as a reminder to parents and guardians about the importance of talking to kids about the dangers associated with matches and lighters.

In addition, Buelow is encouraging Iowans to make sure they have working smoke detectors in their home and replace the batteries at least once a year. He says smoke alarms can reduce a person’s risk of dying in a fire by 50%. “Smoke will not wake you up, it’ll put you in a deeper state of unconsciousness. So, you need some time of early warning device so you can get yourself and your family out of the house,” Buelow said. Investigators say the smoke alarms in the townhouse were not working because they did not contain batteries.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Idea: get rid of Department of Economic Development

October 9, 2009 By

The president of Iowans for Tax Relief says state policymakers considering ways to reduce the size of state government should consider doing away with the entire Department of Economic Development.

Iowans for Tax Relief president Ed Failor, Junior, says now is the time for “bold changes” in state government beyond the 10 percent, across-the-board cut in the state budget that Governor Culver ordered Thursday. “Look, our governor says that (an across-the-board cut) somehow, to quote him, avoids the unfair and unrealistic picking and choosing of important programs…He doesn’t want to have to make tough decisions,” Failor says.  “Well, the job of a manager is to make tough decisions and I just helped make the first one for him.” 

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

Senior citizens warned of increase in scams

October 9, 2009 By

Senior citizens in Iowa are being warned of a dramatic increase in telephone scams. Jim Hegarty, of the Better Business Bureau, says because of the depressed economy, more people are looking to make a quick buck and the elderly are often easy targets.

“Many of these solicitations come from sweepstakes that tell them they’re finalists,” Hegarty says. “These are not designed to tap them for a lot of money, 30 or 40 or 50-dollars at a time.” Hegarty says these scammers prey on senior citizens because many of them are just lonely and looking for someone to talk with.

“Often time, the seniors are living alone,” he says. “They can be bored and sometimes they take these calls and they’ll hear these scammers out just long enough to get hooked into their pitch.” Hegarty says foreign lotteries are a popular scam. He says an 84-year old woman from the Omaha/Council Bluffs area was recently a victim in a sweepstakes scheme.

He says over a period of about three months, she wired out in excess of 40-thousand dollars to scammers in Jamaica. Hegarty says the schemes vary and include fraudulent insurance officers, prescription drug offers and home improvement schemes. He advises everyone to be wary if you receive a check in the mail and are urged to wire money back to the sender. Before doing any business with a company you are not familiar with, call the Better Business Bureau first to see if it is a legitimate business. There are BBB offices in Des Moines, Omaha and Bettendorf. To reach the nearest one, start by visiting: “www.bbb.org“.

By Karla James.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
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