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U.N.I. ready after bye week

November 4, 2009 By

U.N.I. coach Mark Farley says the off week came at the right time for the Panthers. U.N.I. dropped back-to-back games to Southern Illinois and South Dakota State and begin the stretch run at home this weekend against Youngstown State. Farley says they are starting to get back to full strength after having some injuries. He says some of the players had not been able to practice and the time off allowed them to get back.

Youngstown has also dropped consecutive games to Southern Illinois and South Dakota State and the Penguins are 2-3 in the Valley. Farley says Youngstown has always been a great football team, and they have a very athletic quarterback and a good defense.

Youngstown coach Jon Heacock says this will be a tough matchup for his team, as he says the Panthers are very good and well-coached. He says playing at U.N.I. is always tough.

This series has featured close games and this weekend could feature another one. Heacock says he hopes they can be competitive and play well. He says they are two storied programs that have a respect for each other.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Renovations underway at Iowa basketball facility

November 4, 2009 By

Renovations are underway at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa athletic director Gary Barta says the 43-million dollar project will include a new practice facility that is connected to the arena. Barta says it’s a two-year process that should be done by the summer of 2011.

Barta says the new practice facility will have two full-sized courts and one will be a replica of the floor in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, while the other will have multiple uses.

Iowa basketball coach Todd Lickliter says the upgrades will be a boost for the program. Lickliter says it’s an upgrade that is past due and he says if they want to compete they have to have all available resources to do that. The project will also include a new wrestling room and new locker rooms for basketball, volleyball and wrestling.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Northwestern looks to end Iowa’s win streak

November 4, 2009 By

Northwestern has won two straight games in Kinnick Stadium and if they can make it three in a row this weekend it will spoil Iowa’s bid for a perfect season. The Wildcats are 2-3 in the league race after a home loss to Penn State while the Hawkeyes are closing in on a Big Ten Championship.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald says the Iowa defense has been taking the ball away at a high rate and is ranked highly in a number of categories. He says the Hawkeye offense is very efficient and they are also strong in the kicking game. Fitzgerald say the Hawks have been at their best in tough situations. He says they battle in the second half and have been able to persevere.

At one time Iowa completely dominated this series but things turned around in the mid-90s. Fitzgeralds says Northwestern is 7-5 against Iowa since 1995 and he says they’ve been fortunate to win the last two in Iowa City.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Grassley hopes weather improves for farmers

November 4, 2009 By

Many Iowa farmers are frustrated at how late the harvest is taking place this year due to prolonged rainy, chilly weather and one of the wettest, coldest Octobers on record. Some growers are a full month behind schedule with the harvest. Among the agitated farmers is — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who farms near the northeast Iowa town of New Hartford.

“As the weather in Iowa turns drier over the next week, it’ll be a very critical time in getting our crops out of the fields,” Grassley says. “There’s a good chance we’ll see combines, semis, tractors, wagons and grain carts running 24 hours a day.” Grassley says the better weather means the pace of the harvest is finally picking up and he urges all Iowans to exercise caution.

He reminds people: “As the long days turn into nights, there’ll be even more chances for accidents to happen. The Iowa highways and county and gravel roads will be full of slow-moving machinery and it’s important that we’re all aware of our surroundings and to make this push to get our crops out of the fields a safe one.” Statewide, only about 15-percent of the corn crop has been harvested, the slowest pace since 1967.

Grassley says about 60% of his soybeans are harvested, just slightly ahead of the statewide pace. Grassley considers himself one of only two working farmers in the U.S. Senate.

Contributed by Dan Skelton, KICD, Spencer

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

Pawlenty headed to Iowa to headline GOP event

November 4, 2009 By

Minnesota’s Republican governor is due in Des Moines on Saturday to headline an Iowa G.O.P. fundraiser, but Governor Tim Pawlenty is downplaying the idea it’s the kick-off for a 2012 presidential campaign.

“I haven’t made any decisions about what I’m going to do after being governor,” Pawlenty said this morning during a telephone conference with Iowa reporters. “…I finish up my term at the end of 2010. I’ll make some decisions shortly after that about my future, but I haven’t ruled anything in and I haven’t ruled anything out. I really don’t know the answer to what I’m going to be doing after I’m done being governor.” 

Tonight, Pawlenty is holding a gala in Minneapolis to raise money for his “Freedom First” political action committee.  Pawlenty told Iowa reporters he wants to take time over the next year to “speak to ways” the Republican Party can “do better” in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

“Obviously, we did great yesterday, but 2006 and 2008 weren’t so hot for us and we need to improve and I’ve learned some lessons here in governing in Minnesota, in a pretty blue state or a pretty liberal state, and, you know, have been elected and reelected as a mainstream conservative,” Pawlenty said. “And through that, I think I’ve learned some insights and some lessons that I think would help the Republican Party do better in other places and nationally.” 

Republicans won Tuesday’s races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia.  According to Pawlenty, voters in those two states were “affirming” the economic messages those Republicans were delivering.

“There are many, many other issues, but that is at the heart of the matter,” Pawlenty said, “particularly in these challenging economic times.” 

Listen to Pawlenty speak with Iowa reporters here: Pawlenty call 10:34 MP3

Read more about Pawlenty’s remarks here — and here.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Iowa cat tests positive for H1N1

November 4, 2009 By

State health officials are warning pet owners to take precautions if they’re sick with the new strain of the flu, as a test has confirmed an Iowa cat caught H1N1 from its owner.  “Certainly influenza viruses can be transferred to other species,” says Dr. Schmitt, the State Veterinarian, ”so while people are ill, they need to take proper precautions.”

Tests conducted at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine confirmed a 13-year-old cat who lived indoors in Iowa contracted H1N1 from its owners. Officials say two of the three people in that household had H1N1. Dr. Schmitt says cats are “social creatures” and people who are sick with H1N1 — or any serious illness — should try to minimize contact with their pets.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Agriculture, Health & Medicine, Human Interest Tagged With:

One person dies in Story County accident

November 4, 2009 By

One person was killed and three others injured last night in a central Iowa traffic crash. The crash was reported around 6:40 p.m. at the intersection of two county roads between the towns of Cambridge and Maxwell. The Story County Sheriff’s office says a pickup driven by Jacob Thompson of Maxwell entered the intersection and struck another pickup driven by Jose Martinez-Alvarez of Marshalltown.

A passenger in the Martinez-Alvarez vehicle was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. The victim’s name has not been released. Another passenger was not injured, while Martinez-Alvarez was transported to a hospital in Des Moines. Thompson and a passenger in his vehicle, Jebediah Gardner, were transported to a hospital in Ames.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters
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