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Iowa Congressman to participate in two Gulf oil spill hearings

June 14, 2010 By

Congressman Bruce Braley will participate in two hearings this week about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Braley, who is a Democrat from Waterloo, went to Louisiana last week for a field hearing held by the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

“Until you’re up here, over the site, you cannot appreciate the magnitude of this oil spill and how far-reaching this oil dispersal is,” Braley said. The Coast Guard flew Braley and other committee members over the spill zone and Braley recorded a YouTube video while riding in the massive helicopter.

“We had a chance to see with the rear hatch open the plumes of oil, the burn-off that’s going on and the chemical dispersants that are being applied,” Braley said. “We also could smell the powerful aroma around the oil head of the oil sheen coming off the water.” This Thursday, the House Energy Committee will hold a hearing to examine B-P’s role in the oil spill. The day before, on Wednesday, the committee will hear from officials in the Department of Health and Human Services about that agency’s response to the spill.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Several send offs in the works for upcoming Iowa National Guard deployment

June 14, 2010 By

Iowa National Guard soldiers deploying to Afghanistan later this year will be bidding family and friends goodbye at a series of statewide receptions. Colonel Greg Hapgood says the 2,800 troops are deploying from all sections of the state.

Hapgood says they will probably have 30-35 sendoffs — beginning July 18th in Fort Dodge and continuing around the state through early August. There will be six major sendoffs for the battalion headquarters at Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Waterloo, Fort Dodge, Cedar Rapids and in Des Moines for those at Camp Dodge.Hapgood says he’s expecting large crowds and one or more of the central Iowa send-offs for the deploying troops may be held at Des Moines’ Veteran’s Auditorium.

Hapgood says they are working with the six battalion headquarters communities and may have one or more sendoffs at Vets Auditorium. He says they usually plan on about 10 family members attending a sendoff for each soldier, so for a 300 member group, there would be some 3,000 people that may attend.

Hapgood was speaking from Camp Ripley in central Minnesota where many of the deploying soldiers are now training.

Filed Under: Military Tagged With:

Continued rain raises concern for crops

June 14, 2010 By

After five days of heavy rain, many Iowa farmers are looking at wide expanses of cropland that are underwater.

 Bill Northey, Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture, says the weather over the next few days may be key in determining break or bust for perhaps hundreds of producers of corn, soybeans and other commodities.

“Certainly, there are some crops that are in low ground right now that are flooded,” Northey says. “If that would leave right away, it would be hard on the crops but they’d likely come back. If that sits there very long, it’s likely to drown those crops out. It’s getting late enough now, it’s pretty hard to replant. If you do replant, the yield expectations are a lot lower.”

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Agriculture, Weather

Iowa Family Policy Center PAC says it won’t support Branstad without “fundamental transformation”

June 14, 2010 By

This story was updated at 3:36pm

A group that has become a major player in the debate over gay marriage in Iowa will not support Republican gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad unless Branstad has a “fundamental transformation.” The Iowa Family Political Action Committee is an off-shoot of the Iowa Family Policy Center, a group which has lobbied hard for a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage.

The chairman of the Iowa Family PAC’s board of directors says his group has a “commitment to Biblical principles” and any candidate who seeks the support of the Iowa Family PAC must offer a plan “for promoting public policy that honors both God and the constitution.”

In a written statement, the group’s chairman said they are not looking for candidates who “aren’t quite as bad as their opponent” and he criticized the leader of the Iowa Christian Alliance for suggesting many conservative Republicans would support Republican Terry Branstad over the current governor, Chet Culver, a Democrat.

The Iowa Family Political Action Committee is an off-shoot of the Iowa Family Policy Center, a group which has lobbied hard for a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage.

“Christian conservatives are looking for a champion who will take a strong stand for life, marriage and the constitutional separation of powers,” group chairman Danny Carroll told Radio Iowa. “We believe the State Supreme Court in April of last year overstepped its constitutional bounds in establishing a new policy on marriage.”

Carroll’s issued a written statement that criticized the leader of the Iowa Christian Alliance for suggesting many conservative Republicans would support Republican Terry Branstad over the current governor, Chet Culver, a Democrat. Carroll says his group will still be active in the months leading up to the November election.

“We continue to hope that one of the two candidates will come forth and address our concerns, but there are a lot of opportunities to advance what we stand for in various legislative races,” Carroll said. “With limited time and resources, we’ll probably focus our attention in those areas where we can have a maximum impact.” The Iowa Family PAC supported Bob Vander Plaats in the GOP Primary.

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

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Poll 6/14/10

June 14, 2010 By

Class 4A
1. Dowling Catholic, LW #1
2. Mason City, LW #2
3. Sioux City North, LW #3
4. Iowa City West, LW #4
5. Davenport Central, LW #6
6. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, LW #5
7. Bettendorf, LW #7
8. Dubuque Hempstead, LW (X)
9. S.E. Polk, LW #9
10.Ankeny, LW (X)

 

Class 3A
1. Davenport Assumption, LW #1
2. Glenwood, LW #2
3. Norwalk, LW #3
4. Carlisle, LW #5
5. ADM (Adel), LW #6
6. Storm Lake, LW #4
7. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, LW #7
8. Sergeant Bluff-Luton, LW #8
9. Dallas Center-Grimes, LW #9
10.Knoxville, LW #10

 

Class 2A
1. Solon, LW #1
2. Wilton, LW #5
3. Gilbert, LW #6
4. Dyersville Beckman, LW #2
5. Fort Dodge St. Edmond, LW #3
6. Pella Christian, LW #10
7. Pekin, LW #7
8. North Fayette, LW #8
9. Davis County, LW (X)
10.Logan-Magnolia, LW #10

 

Class 1A
1. Mason City Newman, LW #1
2. Don Bosco, LW #2
3. Martensdale-St. Marys, LW #3
4. Council Bluffs St. Albert, LW #4
5. North Sentral Kossuth, LW #6
6. Lansing Kee, LW #7
7. N-U High (Cedar Falls), LW #8
8. EHK-Exira, LW (X)
9. Calamus-Wheatland, LW #5
10.North Tama, LW #9

Filed Under: Radio Iowa Poll, Sports

Vandals leave clues behind at North English golf course

June 14, 2010 By
Hat left at crime scene.

Hat left at crime scene.

Vandals who struck a golf course in eastern Iowa over the weekend left behind some items that could lead to their arrest. The vandalism at the Knoll Ridge Golf Course in North English was discovered around 5:30 Sunday morning.

The perpetrators entered sheds, took golf carts and damaged most of the greens. Several of the golf carts were then dumped into ponds on the course. Some items left behind at the scene are suspected of belonging to one or more of the vandals.

The items include a black and red “Famous” brand flexfit ball cap and a “Fox” brand backpack. Anyone with information about the possible owners of the cap and backpack is asked to contact the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office at 319-642-7307.

Bag left at crime scene.

Bag left at crime scene.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Two dead in Carroll County plane crash

June 14, 2010 By
This plane crashed Sunday evening in Carroll County.

This plane crashed Sunday evening in Carroll County.

Authorities are investigating a plane crash in western Iowa Sunday Evening. The crash happened around 5:38 about one mile west of the town of Lidderdale in western Iowa.

Carroll County Sheriff, Doug Bass, says there were fatalities and the bodies will be sent to the state medical examiner for positive identification.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters
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