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Iowa coordinator views crowded backfield as a good thing

April 14, 2010 By

The Iowa Hawkeyes are three-deep at the running back spot when they are all healthy. That is not the case right now for the sophomore trio of Jewel Hampton, Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher. Hampton is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last summer, Robinson was ruled out of spring practice last month and Wegher sprained a shoulder last week. None of them will take part in Saturday’s final practice of the spring.

Iowa offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe says the best guys will play, and says they each have a different style and it is going to be fun to try and figure out how to use all of them. He says they have not even considered the possibility of using one of the running backs in another spot.

O’Keefe says if all of them were practicing then maybe they could experiment with moving backs around, like put them out one-on-one with a linebacker. But he says they haven’t been able to do that.

Robinson rushed for 834 yards and five touchdowns last season while Wegher tallied 641 yards and eight touchdowns.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Cyclone linebackers making progress this spring

April 14, 2010 By

A new group of linebackers are masking progress during spring drills at Iowa State. The Cyclones must replace all three linebackers from last year’s team that capped a 7-6 season with a victory over Minnesota in the Insight Bowl.

Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads says they show their youth and inexperience, and he says as a position group it takes longer to figure it out there than any other spot and he thinks they are learning. Jake Knott saw time last year as a true freshman and he is the starter at weak side linebacker Knott says it has been hard, but everyone came in prepared from playing special teams and practicing last season.

Knott says as a group they are trying to make progress every day. He says the coach always preaches continuous improvement and they are tyring to get to that level.

Strong side linebacker A.J. Klein says as a group they will offer a different style. He says they will be able to do some things they weren’t able to do last year. Klein says the linebackers are getting a better grasp on the entire defensive package. He says they didn’t have a good grasp of the defense last year, and they will be able to make more plays by being in the right spots.

The Cyclones conclude spring drills with an intrasquad game on Saturday.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Iowa Wesleyan coach cancels spring game over academics

April 14, 2010 By

Iowa Wesleyan football coach Kent Anderson has canceled the remainder of spring practice and cites unsatisfactory progress in the classroom by several members of the team. The Tigers were scheduled to close out spring drills with a scrimmage on Friday night.

Anderson says they need the time and reps, but he says their priority is to get an education, and that made the move very easy. Anderson was hired back in December says the academic situation needed to be dealt with now. He says they had to send the message that education was first and they said from the start they needed that to happen, and to get the point across they decided to cancel the spring game.

Anderson says administrators supported his decision. He says even though they are coaches, they are still educators and have to motivate and educate.

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Omaha expected to get UFL franchise

April 14, 2010 By

The United Football League is making an announcement on Thursday that is expected to announce an Omaha franchise for the fledging league. If that does become a reality, the team would probably play five or six games at the under construction T-D Ameritrade ball park that is located across from the Qwest Center, downtown Omaha. Trenton Magid is president of Coldwell Banker Commercial World Group and says this development could bring economic opportunities to the area. He says the new stadium needs to be used as much as possible.

“It is so important to fill those days. Just like a hotel, those are empty room nights. You need to fill those nights.” Magid says using the new ballpark for a two week period during the summer for the College World Series just isn’t enough. “If T-D Ameritrade Park doesn’t have anything more than the College World Series, those are empty room nights. You need to fill those nights.”

Magid says this is a case of “the more the merrier” because when the venue is packed, businesses nearby will benefit. “Complementary restaurant reservations, entertainment. All kinds of businesses thrive when the anchor is filled with an event.” Creighton University is scheduled to play a limited number of baseball games next year and a 25-game schedule in 2012. This ballpark replaces Rosenblatt Stadium. The Omaha Royals’ will be playing at a different stadium under construction in Sarpy County.

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ISU student dies, bacterial meningitis believed to be cause

April 14, 2010 By

An Iowa State University senior who reported he felt ill died at the Ames hospital Tuesday evening after friends took him to the emergency room. I.S.U. Dean of Students, Dione Summerville, says the student was 22-year-old Travis James Good of Omaha.

“We have preliminary confirmation that bacterial meningitis is the cause and that will be confirmed by the state hygienic lab,” Sommerville says. Somerville says the have taken steps to ensure other students are not at risk. She says they are working with the students who were in the most direct contact with Good, and giving them information about how bacterial meningitis is spread.

Sommerville says those students who were in close contact with Good will get an antibiotic. Meningitis is an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord and Meningitis bacteria are spread through droplets from the nose and throat and from saliva.

Sommerville says they are also helping students who feel distressed after the death of a classmate. Sommerville says they never want anything to happen to students, and when a student dies it is a tragic situation for the family, fellow students and the university community.

Signs of meningitis include high fever, headache, rash and/or stiff neck. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, discomfort when looking into bright lights, confusion and sleepiness. Anyone who experiences these symptoms should seek immediate medical attention.

Filed Under: Education, Health & Medicine

Des Moines at top of Forbes list of “Best places for business and careers”

April 14, 2010 By
80-35 Fest in Des Moines

80-35 Fest in Des Moines

Iowa’s capital city is on top of Forbes Magazine’s  new list for Best Places For Business and Careers. In addition to Des Moines, six other Iowa cities are listed among the top 20 large or small metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Kurt Badenhausen compiled the report for Forbes and discussed his findings in a video posted to the magazine’s website. He says 14 of the 20 cities listed in the rankings for large metros are located in the Midwest.

“We’ve seen a lot of places in the so-called heartland that have held up very well during the recession,” Badenhausen said. “They didn’t get caught up in the housing boom and bust that we’ve seen in places like Florida, in the southwest and in California.”

Des Moines is listed number one on the list for best places for business and careers after being listed seventh last year. “Des Moines has very low business costs, 15% below the national average when you look at labor, taxes and energy,” Badenhausen said. “They also have a very educated labor supply. Ninety-two-percent of the population has a high school degree and 33% has a college degree, which is in the top quarter of all metro areas.”

The rankings of best places is also based on past and projected job growth, income growth and quality of life issues like crime and cultural and recreational opportunities. The Forbes article highlights some of Des Moines’ largest employers – including Wells Fargo, Principal Financial and Nationwide Insurance.

Des Moines is followed on the list by Provo, Utah and Raleigh, North Carolina. Omaha is ranked 7th and Cedar Rapids is 13th on the list. Forbes also compiled a list of Best Small Places for Business and Careers. Sioux Falls, South Dakota tops the small metro rankings followed by Iowa City. Other Iowa cities on the list include Waterloo (13th), Sioux City (14th), Dubuque (15th) and Ames (17th). Kay Snyder is a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Economic Development.

“Rankings like these give well-deserved exposure to Iowa,” Snyder said. She says the state and the cities will use the Forbes report in future marketing materials.

Filed Under: Human Interest

Wright County principal says closing of DHS office will hurt students, families

April 14, 2010 By

The Iowa Department of Human Services is cutting back operations to part-time in 23 counties, which is leaving many child advocates in those counties reeling. Tricia Rosendahl, the principal at Clarion Goldfield Elementary School, says she’s stunned by the D.H.S.’s move to essentially close its Wright County office. She predicts it will end up hurting students and families.

“They’re saying it’s not closing. They’re saying it’s less than full-time. We have huge concerns for what that exactly means,” Rosendahl says. “They were saying possibly one day a week and by appointment only. That just makes it hugely inconvenient for our families and for people that need to access those types of services.”

She says people need to know they can rely on help being there when it’s needed, so cutting back office hours to one day a week will be highly impractical. Rosendahl says, “That just makes it very inconvenient and very difficult for us as a school to help those families when they need those services to help with their things that are going on at home.”

Rosendahl says the D-H-S plays a vital role in the Clarion community for families in need. The agency is apparently cutting back in counties where fewer people are seeking services, which she says is the wrong way to look at it. “Even though the numbers may be down in Wright County, that’s a good thing because we’ve been working together and we’ve been trying to make that a collaborative approach to be proactive,” Rosendahl says.

“We’re afraid if we don’t have those people close by right here in our county, that’s not going to happen any more and then we’ll be dealing with a reactive effect and we’ll see a lot more crisis situations.” The cutbacks are being made at a time the state is facing a critical budget situation and a D.H.S. reorganization.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Education, Politics & Government
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