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Four people injured in I-80 accident

October 19, 2009 By

Four people are hospitalized after an accident in eastern Iowa involving a semi and a cement truck in a construction zone on Interstate-80. Courtney Greene, spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, says the incident occurred just after 11:30 a.m. at the Oxford interchange in Johnson County.

“There was a semi that was traveling westbound and it appears the driver didn’t realize that the lane was narrowing and hit the concrete divider,” Greene said. “After it hit the barrier, we believe the (semi) jumped at least part of the divider and barrier and somehow came into contact with a cement truck.” The driver of the semi and three construction workers were injured.

Greene says the construction workers were transported to a hospital by ambulances, while the semi driver was air-lifted to the hospital. Their names and conditions have not been released. Traffic on westbound I-80 is being re-routed at the Oxford interchange. Officials are hoping to have the area back open sometime this afternoon.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Tuesday is the deadline for state budget cut plans

October 19, 2009 By

Tuesday is the deadline for state agency directors to submit their budget-cutting plans to the governor’s office. Governor Culver has promised that all those details will be open to public scrutiny tomorrow. “We’re not hiring anyone right now. There’s a freeze. We’re cutting back on travel even more than we have before, so we’re finding savings every day,” Governor Culver says.

“And we will have the details of those plans made public, actually, on the 20th of October. You’ll see the plan and then we’ll have a little back and forth in terms of agreeing on a final one.” The “final” budget cutting should be in place by Tuesday, October 27th, which means layoff notices for hundreds of state workers may go out at the end of the month.

Union contracts, however, allow longterm workers who get a pink slip to take the job of another employee who does not have as much seniority. That process, called “bumping” as one worker bumps another of the job, takes some time. “If we started, for example, a layoff process today, it takes a lot of time,” Culver says. “I mean, just going through the required steps of a layoff plan — we are required by law to go through a fairly extensive process, so it’s likely that we will not see layoffs until late this year in some cases because of that process that we are required to go through.”

Governor Culver ordered a 10%, across the board cut on October 8th. Ten percent amounts to a 565 million dollar reduction in state executive branch agencies. The chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court has ordered a 10% cut in the judicial branch. Leaders of the Iowa House and Senate have announced plans for a 10 percent cut in the legislative branch as well.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , ,

It’s “Let’s Talk Month”

October 19, 2009 By

Iowa parents are being prodded to have “that” conversation with their kids as part of what’s called Let’s Talk Month. Tiffany Larson, a pregnancy prevention coordinator in Webster City, says parents need to be willing to talk with their teens about sex and the many related risks. Larson explains the primary goal of the month.

“It helps young people develop responsible and positive attitudes about sexuality,” Larson says. “It’s basically a time that communities, media, businesses, schools, community agencies can have leadership roles in supporting communication between young people and adults in their lives.” Larson offers a few tips to help parents educate their children in the sensitive subjects.

She says to encourage communication and reassure kids they can talk to you about anything. Listen more than you talk. Don’t jump to conclusions and don’t assume that a teen who’s asking about sex is having sex. Answer questions simply, directly and honestly. If you don’t know the answer to a question, be honest and say so, then find the answer together. Larson works to explain the consequences of teen pregnancy to families in Hamilton, Wright and Humboldt counties. For more information about Let’s Talk Month, visit: “www.advocatesforyouth.org”

Contributed by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Human Interest

Arnaud ready to play at Nebraska, Robinson a question

October 19, 2009 By

Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads expects quarterback Austen Arnaud and running back Alexander ZRobinson to play in this week’s game at Nebraska. Arnaud bruised his throwing hand early in the Cylones victory over Baylor and left the game early in the second half while Robinson had a groin injury flare up after rushing for 83 yards.

He says both have been evaluated and both will undergo treatment, and Robinson status will remain a game-time decision. He expects Arnaud to be ready to go for practice Tuesday. Rhoads says Robinson will probably deal with the groin issue for the rest of the season. He says the only chance for any play to get an injury to completely go away, is a bye week where you completely shut down everything.

Rhoads will stick with Grant Mahoney as place kicker. Mahoney missed three field goals in the win over Baylor and has also failed to convert on three PATs this season. Rhoads says it is a problem with mechanics, and getting him back to the proper action every time is the thing they are working on. Rhoads says his confidence in Mahoney is not shaken and he will call on the kicker if he has a chance for a 50-yard field goal this week against Nebraska.

Nebraska is 4-2 after a 31-10 home loss to Texas Tech that left coach Bo Pelini furious and Husker nation seeing red. He says Pelini will coach his team well and they will be prepared to play, so Rhoads says his team has to be prepared for a physical Big 12 game.

Rhoads says the Cyclones will need to come up with a system this week to deal with the noise level in Memorial Stadium. He says they will use it for all four quarters as it will as loud a stadium as they play in. A good matchup this week will be Nebraska’s front seven against an Iowa State offensive line that has played well.

Rhoads says they thought the o-line would be the best unit on the team, but he says they have exceeded expectations with the amount of rushing and the lack of sacks produced.

Arnaud says his throwing hand slammed against the helmet of a Baylor defender. He says he hit is and it hurt, but he kept playing, and then the cold made it worse and it swelled.

The Cyclones don’t practice Monday and Arnaud says he will be ready to go on Tuesday. Arnaud says it’s still a little swollen, but he says it does not hurt much.

Arnaud says this week’s game is a big opportunity for the Cyclones. He says Nebraska is a Big 12 North opponent and the division is scattered right now and ISU is trying to match Nebraska’s intensity and get a win in Lincoln.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Radio Iowa Poll 10/19/09

October 19, 2009 By

Class 4A
1. Iowa City High (8-0), LW #1 @ Cedar Rapids Jefferson
2. Dowling Catholic (8-0), LW #2 @ Johnston
3. Marshalltown (8-0), LW #3 vs #8 Fort Dodge
4. Clinton (8-0), LW #4 @ North Scott
5. Bettendorf (7-1), LW #5 vs Davenport Assumption
6. Ankeny (7-1), LW #6 @ Southeast Polk
7. Linn-Mar (7-1), LW #7 @ Iowa City West
8. Fort Dodge (7-1), LW #10 @ #3 Marshalltown
9. Cedar Rapids Xavier (6-2), LW #9 @ Cedar Rapids Prairie
10.Cedar Rapids Washington (6-2), LW (X) vs Waterloo East

 

Class 3A
1. Harlan (8-0), LW #1 @ Lewis Central
2. Clear Lake (8-0), LW #2 @ Webster City
3. Carroll (8-0), LW #3 @ Nevada
4. Centerville (8-0), LW #4 @ Chariton
5. Sioux City Heelan (7-1), LW #5 @ Sgt. Bluff-Luton
6. Marion (8-0), LW #6 @ Benton
7. Williamsburg (7-1), LW #8 vs Clear Creek-Amana
8. Maquoketa (7-1), LW #7 @ Union
9. Ballard (Huxley) (7-1), LW #9 vs Boone
10.Grinnell (7-1), LW #10 @ Carlisle

 

Class 2A
1. Solon (8-0), LW #1 vs West Liberty
2. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (8-0), LW #2 vs Sioux Center
3. North Fayette (8-0), LW #3 vs Jesup
4. Osage (8-0), LW #7 vs Gilbert
5. Davis County (Bloomfield) (7-1), LW #8 @ Sigourney-Keota
6. Eagle Grove (7-1), LW #9 vs Cherokee
7. Iowa City Regina (7-1), LW #4 @ Center Point-Urbana
8. Carroll Kuemper (6-2), LW #10 vs OA-BCIG
9. Mid-Prairie (Wellman) (7-1), LW #6 vs West Burlington/Notre Dame
10.Western Christian (Hull) (7-1), LW (X) @ Unity Christian

 

Class 1A
1. Council Bluffs St. Albert (8-0), LW #1 vs Logan-Magnolia
2. West Branch (8-0), LW #2 vs Van Buren
3. Emmetsburg (8-0), LW #3 vs Lake Mills
4. Prairie Valley (Gowrie) (8-0), LW #4 vs Panorama
5. South Winneshiek (8-0), LW #5 @ Turkey Valley
6. West Lyon (7-1), LW #6 vs Westwood
7. HMS (Hartley) (7-1), LW #8 @ South O’Brien
8. Clayton Ridge (7-1), LW #9 vs North Linn
9. Denver (7-1), LW (X) @ Aplington-Parkersburg
10.Griswold (7-1), LW #7 @ Oakland Riverside

 

Class A
1. North Tama (8-0), LW #1 vs North Mahaska
2. AHST (Avoca) (8-0), LW #3 vs Fremont-Mills
3. Southern Cal (7-1), LW #4 @ S.E. Webster
4. Madrid (7-1), LW #5 vs S.E. Warren
5. Cedar Falls NU High (8-0), LW #6 @ North Butler
6. Mason City Newman (7-1), LW #8 @ AGWSR
7. Wapsie Valley (Fairbank) (7-1), LW (X) vs Valley Community
8. LeMars Gehlen (7-1), LW #10 @ Newell-Fonda
9. Central Elkader (7-1), LW #2 vs Lisbon
10.B-G-M (Brooklyn) (7-1), LW (X) vs G-M-G

 

Eight-man
1. Lenox (8-0), LW #1 @ East Union
2. North Sentral Kossuth (8-0), LW #2 vs Laurens-Marathon
3. Tri-County (Thornburgh) (8-0), LW #3 @ Moravia
4. Stanton (8-0), LW #4 @ South Page
5. Preston (8-0), LW #5 @ East Central
6. Armstrong-Ringsted (7-1), LW #6 vs Graettinger-Terril
7. Ankeny Christian (7-1), LW #7 vs Harmony
8. Remsen St. Mary’s (8-0), LW #8 vs Aurelia
9. West Central (Maynard), LW #9 @ Lansing Kee
10.CAM (Anita) (7-1), LW #10 @ Adair-Casey

Filed Under: Radio Iowa Poll, Sports

Seven charged in Dubuque attacks

October 19, 2009 By

Police in Dubuque have arrested seven people in a string of robberies and assaults dating back to early May. Police spokesperson Lieutenant Scott Baxter says the suspects were targeting people who were leaving bars late at night.

“Often times the victims of these robberies or assaults were intoxicated,” Baxter said. All of the crimes were reported in eastern and northeast Dubuque. The suspects include six juveniles. The one adult facing charges is identified as 19-year-old Deandre Austin of Dubuque. Baxter says the seven suspects face a total of 20 charges in connection with 18 separate incidents.

“While it was kind of opportunistic in nature, they also knew what they were looking for in terms of victims. They wanted someone who was alone, possibly leaving a bar…at night,” Baxter said. “They seemed to have the type of victim and type of situation down.” Baxter says police continue to investigate and more charges will likely be filed.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Iowa National Guard notifying soldiers of deployment

October 19, 2009 By

Several Iowa National Guard soldiers are getting the word they will be deployed overseas by next fall. Iowa National Guard spokesman, Major Mike Wunn, says they began notifying the soldiers this weekend.

Wunn says the Iowa National Guard received an alert from the federal government Friday for a “significant” deployment in support of “overseas contingency operations.” He says they are in the process of notifying families and soldiers. A published report says the deployment will involve the Second Brigade of the 34th Infantry Division, which has about 3,500 soldiers. That would be the largest deployment since World War Two.

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Filed Under: Military Tagged With:
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