From the daily archives:

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

A 32-year-old Democrat won today’s “special election” in Cedar Rapids for a seat in the Iowa House.  

Fewer than 10 percent of the voters in the House district on the south side of Cedar Rapids cast a ballot. But of those who did, 78 percent voted for the Democratic candidate.  Kirsten Running-Marquardt, daughter of former state Representative Rich Running of Cedar Rapids, was the landslide winner. 

Her Republican rival was Josh Thurson, a 27-year-old Teamsters union member who works at the Cargill plant in Cedar Rapids.  The Republican won just 22 percent of the vote in the district, which has a heavy Democratic voter registration edge. 

Running-Marquardt will replace former State Representative Dick Taylor, a Democrat who resigned earlier this fall.  Taylor’s son died of a heart attack this summer and Taylor says he is now the sole caregiver for his wife, who is ill.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Iowans say “the list” can show GOP platform has meaning

by O. Kay Henderson 11/24/09 8:37 PM

Two of the three Iowans who serve on the Republican National Committee say a petition outlining ten key G.O.P. policy positions is designed to help show “grassroots” Republicans that the party’s platform means something.
Steve Scheffler, Iowa’s Republican National Committeeman, is part of a “conservative steering committee” that has pushed for reform of the national party. 
“We [...]

Read the full article →

Drake soccer team on the road for Thanksgiving

by Todd Kimm 11/24/09 4:45 PM

It will be a quick turnaround for the Drake men’s soccer tam which leaves later this week for Boston and a matchup against Boston College on Sunday in the sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs advanced after stunning fourth ranked Ohio State 1-0 in sudden death overtime in Columbus.
Drake coach Sean Holmes says [...]

Read the full article →

Morningside faces top ranked team in quarterfinal football playoffs

by Todd Kimm 11/24/09 4:44 PM

The Morningside football team is preparing for a trip to top ranked Sioux Falls this weekend for a quarterfinal round game in the N-A-I-A playoffs. The Mustangs opened the playoffs on Saturday with a 24-6 win over Missouri Valley.
Morningside coach Steve Ryan says they played well against a physical team and it was good to [...]

Read the full article →

Thanksgiving top day for cooking fires

by Matt Kelley 11/24/09 4:40 PM

Iowans are reminded to cook with caution this week as Thanksgiving is the number-one day of the year for cooking fires. State Fire Marshal Jim Kenkel says this holiday accounts for three times the daily average of cooking fires.
Many folks can get distracted with multiple tasks while trying to create the perfect family meal, so [...]

Read the full article →

Group says Iowa’s power plants among oldest, highest polluting

by Pat Curtis 11/24/09 4:39 PM

An environmental group says new analysis of government data shows Iowa has some of the nation’s oldest coal-fired power plants that are responsible for high levels of pollution. Eric Nost, with Environment Iowa, says the largest coal plant – the Walter Scott Jr. Energy Center in Council Bluffs – released nearly 10-million tons of carbon [...]

Read the full article →

Rockwell Collins buys Texas company

by O. Kay Henderson 11/24/09 4:37 PM

Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins  plans to acquire a Texas company that provides trip planning services. The AR Group owns several companies, including Air Routing International  which is based in Houston.
Air Routing has 240 employees and caters to business flights, providing a wide array of services like route planning to avoid bad weather and getting the [...]

Read the full article →