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Branstad, Miller debate state authority over DeCoster operations

August 31, 2010 By

Republican gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad says the state’s attorney general, who is a Democrat, bears some responsibility for the massive egg recall which has created a “black eye” for Iowa’s poultry industry, while Attorney General Tom Miller says Branstad has his facts wrong.

Branstad blasted Miller during an appearance earlier today in Le Mars. “The present attorney general basically let Jack DeCoster off the hook. The whole state of Iowa is getting a black eye for that guy, habitual violator,” Branstad said of DeCoster. “We were on course to have him put out of business before I left office and then they cut a deal with him.”

Miller says his office “aggressively” prosecuted DeCoster, all the way to the Supreme Court. “Former Governor Branstad is totally mistaken about the law in Iowa concerning feedlots and habitual violators,” Miller said during a telephone interview with Radio Iowa. “It’s either a convenient memory, or a misrepresentation.”

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Filed Under: Agriculture, Business, Crime & Courts, Health & Medicine, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Ferentz looks for better performance in this year’s opener

August 31, 2010 By

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz

A much anticipated season begins on Saturday for the Iowa Hawkeyes when they host Eastern Illinois. With several starters back from last year’s team that won the Orange Bowl the Hawks enter the season ranked ninth in the A.P. poll.

A year ago the Hawkeyes escaped an upset bid by U.N.I. in their opener and coach Kirk Ferentz is hoping for a better performance this weekend against Eastern Illinois.

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Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Wartburg ready for 75th anniversary season

August 31, 2010 By

The 75th anniversary season of Wartburg football kicks off Saturday night when the Knights host Monmouth of Illinois in a battle of teams ranked in the top 20 of various preseason Division-Three polls. The Knights enter their opener with strong expectations of competing for the Iowa Conference title, despite being picked to finish third in the league race behind Central and Coe.

Wartburg Coach Rick Willis says they are very hungry and many of the players stayed around this summer to work in the weight room. He has 14 starters back from last year’s 6-4 team but lacks experience at quarterback. The Knights have to replace record-setting signal-caller Nick Yordi, who threw for nearly 5,400 yards and 41 touchdowns the last two seasons.

Willis says senior Mike Sosnowski of Eldridge; junior Dan Stiefel, a transfer from Sterling Heights, Michigan; and sophomore Mike Wurtz of Okoboji are all being considered to replace Yordi under center. He says those three will handle the spot and although they lack experience, he feels good about their development through camp.

Saturday’s opener is a rematch of a 2008 NCAA second-round playoff game that Wartburg rallied to win 30-28 on the final play. Willis expects the same type of game this year with Monmouth, which he says will be a tough opener. Monmouth’s quarterback is pre-season All-American Alex Tanney, who needs just 43 yards to break the Midwest Conference career passing record of 10,200 set by Grinnell’s Troy Daughtery in the late 1990′s.

The past two seasons, the Fighting Scots have averaged more than 45 points per game with Tanney calling the signals. Willis says the Knights’ defense will be tested. He says they want to try and keep the scoreboard from blowing up, as he says they will score some points and could throw the ball a lot. But Willis says his team will be able to score some points too.

 Wartburg has a number of events planned Saturday to celebrate the school’s 75th season of football, including an all-football alumni reunion and a community tailgate party before the 7 p.m. game. Tickets for the season-opener have been lowered to half-price and a fireworks show is also planned after the game at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly.

By Elwin Huffman KOEL Oelwein

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:

Eastern Illinois coach hopes for upset

August 31, 2010 By

Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo says his players know that U.N.I. nearly pulled a stunning upset over the Iowa Hawkeyes in last year’s season opener. The Hawks blocked two field goals in the waning seconds of a 17-16 victory and now it will be the Eastern Illinois Panthers who will be looking for an upset.

Spoo says his players will be aware of that, but they have some questions coming in and it will be a baptism of fire for some new players. Eastern Illinois finished 8-4 in 2009 and advanced to the opening round of the FCS playoffs. He says they’ve had a productive preseason, but could be healthier overall.

Eastern Illinois has a new quarterback this season as redshirt sophomore Brandon Lange makes his first start. Spoo says Lange is the question mark right now and it will be interesting to see how he performs. Spoo says to have any chance they must make the Hawkeyes earn what they get. He says they can’t give up turnovers, and penalties and those types of things.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

Hawkeye fans gearing up for the season opener

August 31, 2010 By

Iowa Hawkeye football fans are excited about the upcoming season and so are area businesses. A new study released by the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau claims the U-of-I’s seven home football games will bring in more than $100 million to the Johnson County area.

Kirk Peters, who manages the Hawk Shop in Iowa City, says more people than ever are visiting his store to score the latest black and gold goods. “They want to come in and get what’s new for the season,” Peters said. “There’s a lot of anticipation and excitement for this year’s team.”

The Hawkeyes are ranked 9th in the Associated Press pre-season poll. Iowa opens the season this Saturday when Eastern Illinois visits Kinnick Stadium. Julia Pucket is those stocking up on new Hawkeye merchandise from the Hawk Shop. “I didn’t grow up here, so I don’t have any Hawkeye stuff,” Pucket said. “I was told this is the place to go. We’ve all been planning for two or three weeks about what we’re going to do for the first game, who we’re going with and who is getting tickets.”

All seven of Iowa’s home football games are sold out. The study also shows people who stay in a hotel spend about $950 during their visit. Those who don’t, spend about $275.

By Mark Geary, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids

Filed Under: Business, Sports Tagged With: ,

Several schools let out early due to the heat

August 31, 2010 By

Over one dozen school districts dismissed classes early today over concerns about the heat. Mason City Community School District superintendent Anita Michich says the heat and humidity the last few days has combined to make poor teaching environments.

Micich says the school district has tried its best to cool down the buildings that don’t have air conditioning. She says they’ve opened up the buildings at night and the mornings to try to move air through them, but the heat and humidity since Saturday has heated up the brick buildings and they haven’t been able to cool them back down.

Micich says they closely monitor the temperature inside the buildings to make sure it’s not getting too hot. Michich says when the temperatures get into the 80s and 90s, they’ll have custodians go through the buildings with heat guns to determine what the temperatures are in the classrooms. Micich says cooling down the buildings isn’t as easy as opening up a few windows and turning on lots of fans.

Michich says the custodians have the doors and windows wide open on August mornings, trying to move air through the buildings, but it just doesn’t work when brick buildings hold in the heat so well, and they are working toward getting more air conditioning in the buildings, but are not there yet. Micich says despite school getting out early, athletic teams will continue to practice, but move their practices to later in the day when it is cooler. It’s the second straight day they’ve dismissed early because of the heat.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Filed Under: Education, Weather

Travel expected to be up for Labor Day weekend

August 31, 2010 By

The final holiday fling of summer is just ahead and an increase in travel is expected, compared to last year. Gail Weinholzer, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says there will be plenty of motorists on the state’s roads over the Labor Day weekend.

Weinholzer says an increase of about ten-percent is expected over 2009, which is “fairly substantial.” Nationwide, the motor club predicts more than 34-million people will be traveling over the four-day weekend. She says a variety of reasons are behind the anticipated boost in the number of holiday travelers.

Job growth has been disappointing but the gross domestic product is still rising, along with net worth for households and consumer confidence, while the debt is dropping and gas prices are fairly steady. Plus, Weinholzer says, “folks just want to get out and get one last vacation before they start heading into the fall season.”

Weinholzer said the rising travel trend should be promising for the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. She says it bodes well for the last two major holidays of the year. In 2008, all five major holidays saw a drop in travel from the previous year as gasoline prices spiked over $4 a gallon.

Gasoline prices statewide are now averaging $2.61 a gallon, which is 13-cents higher than a year ago. The national average is six-cents higher than the state average. Iowa’s all-time high gas price hit $4.02 a gallon in July of 2008.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

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