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Huckabee “trying to be smarter” about 2012

February 28, 2011 By

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee made a six-city swing through Iowa over the past two days to sign copies of his latest book — telling reporters he’ll run a “smarter” campaign if he launches a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.  

“I’m trying to be smarter and not be stupid enough to go out there and try to sustain a campaign for an unnecessarily long period of time,” Huckabee said this afternoon in Cedar Rapids.

Huckabee won Iowa’s Caucuses and seven other states in 2008, but dropped out of the race almost exactly two months after his victory in Iowa.  Huckabee now has a television career on the FOX News Channel and he’s the successor to Paul Harvey’s popular nationally-syndicated radio program, jobs he’d have to give up to make another run for the White House. Huckabee has made it clear he won’t make be leaving the airwaves ’til this summer to run for president, if at all.

“If a person is a boxer and you have the choice of a 15 round fight or a 10 round fight, I think most people would say 10 rounds makes more sense because it’s tough to stay on your feet for 15,” Huckabee said in Cedar Rapids. 

Huckabee made stops in Davenport, Dubuque, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and West Des Moines over the past two days. Carolyn Johnson got in line early Monday morning to wait for Huckabee’s noon-time arrival at the bookstore in Cedar Rapids.

“I feel he’s got a good background. He’s got a good values system,” Johnson said. “He’s got the experience from his years of being a governor and he’s for America, for what it stands for.”

Huckabee has published three books since the 2008 Iowa Caucuses. His latest is titled “A Simple Government — Twelve Things We Really Need from Washington (and a Trillion That We Don’t).”

Filed Under: Campaign Countdown, Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Official gives Spring Break tips for college kids

February 28, 2011 By

Spring Break is about to hit for tens of thousands of Iowa high school and college students, many of whom will be heading to various points south. Milissa Wright, associate director of campus police at the University of Northern Iowa, is reminding students who are driving to their destinations to get their vehicle fully outfitted before hitting the road.

To get the vehicle prepared, check fluid levels and tire pressures and prepare an emergency kit with water, blankets and food. Also, she says students should notify a family member of the dates they’ll be traveling. Wright says criminals will seek out Spring Break hot spots because they know there will be plenty of fun-seeking kids with fat wallets. Students, she says, need to be on guard.

Students should make sure to protect their valuables by using a room or hotel safe, drink alcohol in moderation and never leave a beverage unattended, or someone might try to spike it with something. Wright also suggests traveling with at least one other friend, if not a group.

She recalls the still-unsolved case of Natalee Holloway, the Alabama teen who vanished in 2005 while on vacation on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Wright says Iowa kids might think “it can never happen to me.”

“They tend to think they’re bulletproof but some of the bigger cases that have come out in recent years do tend to let individuals understand that they aren’t totally safe,” she says. Wright says by following a few safety rules, you can make your vacation a great time to remember and not something you want to forget.

“Trust your gut instincts,” Wright says. “If you feel uncomfortable, you are probably in a bad situation and need to get yourself back to someplace that you feel safe. A little voice tells us when we’re in trouble and it’s good to listen to that internal voice.”

Filed Under: Education, Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Bellevue Marquette wins first ever girls tournament game

February 28, 2011 By

Bellevue Marquette edged sixth ranked North Mahaska 34-32 in a Class 1A quarterfinal round game.

Senior guard Paige Daugherty says they made history by being the first girls team from their school to make it past the first round at state. Daugherty finished with seven points. Defense has been the key all season for Marquette and Monday’s game was no different.

She says they were shaky on offense at the start and their defense pulled them through and that is what has carried them through this point of the season. North Mahaska shot a chilly 24 percent for the game but had one last chance to tie the game but missed at the buzzer.

Kate Ray led North Mahaska with 11 points as they close the season with a 23-3 mark. Bellevue Marquette did not have a payer reach double figures but they got enough to improve their record to 16-6.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:

West Hancock rallies to win state tournament opener

February 28, 2011 By

Fifth ranked West Hancock rallied from a 16 point deficit to beat seventh rated Bedford 67-59. Kaylee Weiland Led West Hancock with 13 points as the Eagles posted a win in their first tournament appearance. Weiland said they just knew they were not going to lose the game and needed to step up their defense. She says their coach told them they needed to play with heart, and that’s what happened.

The Eagles trailed 37-21 in the opening half but got the game turned around with their pressure defense that forced 23 Bedford turnovers. Weiland says they didn’t play their style at the stare as they played slow and their style is to play fast. Once they started playing fast, she says their opponents got tired.

West Hancock outscored Bedford 26-7 in the fourth quarter. Bedford coach Kenny Weed says they didn’t respond after West Hancock made a run, and he says they started forcing the ball. Caila Raymond led the Bulldogs with 14 points as Bedford ends the season with a record of 21-5. West Hancovk improves to 25-1.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:

Former ISU/Viking stand-out lobbies for legislation on student athlete concussions

February 28, 2011 By

Former Iowa State stand-out Matt Blair played defense for the Minnesota Vikings for a dozen years, but he’s at the Iowa capitol today, playing a bit of offense on a health and safety issue.

Blair is backing a bill that would require Iowa student athletes who leave a game after a concussion to get written medical clearance before returning to play or practice. “In the past, it was the coaches saying, ‘Can you go to practice? You’re not tough enough,’” Blair said during a statehouse news conference.  “So your mind’s saying, ‘I’ve got to go back to practice’ — and I went back to practice.”

Blair had two concussions during his playing career. One was in 1971 during an Iowa State game against Oklahoma and the other was when the Minnesota Vikings were playing the Washington Redskins. “It was an NFC Championship Game. And do you think I’m going to come out of that game? No way, so I stayed in,” Blair said. “But I’m fortunate and blessed and I’m thankful that I’m here today.”

But Fred McNeill, Blair’s roommate for 11 years as a Viking, isn’t so lucky. McNeil suffers from short-term memory loss due to concussions and he’s no longer able to drive or practice law. ”I never remember when he got hurt. Now, if he would have told the coaches he got hurt, back then in the ’70s and ’80s — well, we probably would have told him, you know, ‘It’s o.kay,’” Blair said. “But today, we have to have better rules.”

Former Iowa State quarterback Sage Rosenfels — a back-up on the New York Giants roster – got a concussion as a junior in high school.  ”I remember getting hit.  I got a knee to the head and got up and  I was really woozy.  I didn’t really know where I was at and I was done for the game,” Rosenfels said. “It’s something that’s being taken very, very seriously at all levels. I know the NFL’s taking take it very seriously — the players, the trainers, the coaches — because you’re seeing the long-term, negative effects and I also have a sister who has a brain injury, so the whole concussion issue hits close to home for me.”  His sister suffered a brain injury in a car accident.

Senator Tod Bowman talks as Matt Blair listens.

Rosenfels is a Maquoketa native and knows Senator Tod Bowman, a Democrat from Maquoketa who is a wrestling coach. Bowan has co-sponsored the bill that would require Iowa students who suffer a head injury to get a doctor’s o.k. before they return to practice or play.

“I understand the student athlete’s draw to get back to help their teammates, to help their team, the competitiveness and the coach. And we can’t forget the parents in this, too,” Bowan said. “There’s a lot of parents out there that want their kid in there and aren’t educated on the dangers of concussions.”

Tate Jensen, a ninth grader at Adel DeSoto Minburn High School said when he was in junior high his mother wouldn’t let him return to play football for several weeks after a concussion, because of his persistent headaches.

“I thank my mom for making me sit out, because if it was up to me, I probably would have gone back the next game,” Jensen said.

Brianna McAninch, a junior at Norwalk High School, suffered a concussion six weeks ago during a basketball game and she’s not yet been cleared to practice or play sports. “It hard for us to just sit on the bench and watch our team go out there and play, but the brain is the most important thing for us to keep healthy,” McAninch said.

Alan Beste, assistant executive director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association, said his group’s website has the “most current” and “scientific” information about concussions and suggested “return to play” rules.

“This is really easy legislation for us to support because it fits the mission that we’ve had for years and years — and that’s to protect the health and safety of student athletes across the state of Iowa,” Beste said.

The National Football League sent a representative to the statehouse today to speak on behalf of the legislation. Kenneth Edmonds, the NFL’s's director of government relations and public policy, said today’s NFL players and coaches are more aware of the symptoms and risks of brain injuries. ”The NFL and its teams strongly support this important bill which raises awareness of and protects youth athletes from the risks of concussions,” he said. 

The bill is set to clear a committee today, meaning it survives a key deadline this Friday and remains eligible for debate in both the House and Senate.  Nine states have passed restrictions which require a doctor’s permission slip before a student athlete who’s had a brain injury can return to practice and play.  Ten other states are considering such a restriction.

Filed Under: Education, Health & Medicine, Politics & Government, Uncategorized Tagged With:

Democrats see no problem with nominee to Board of Regents

February 28, 2011 By

Two key Democrats see no real obstacles to having one of Republican Governor Terry Branstad’s major campaign contributors serve on the Board of Regents. Late last week Branstad nominated Bruce Rastetter for the board that governs Iowa, Iowa State and U.N.I., an appointment that must be confirmed by at least 34 of the 50 state senators.

Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs has heard no objections from his fellow Democrats. “You know, anytime you end up with an appointee that has a high level of political activity there are a few people whose eyebrows are raised,” Gronstal says. “The fact is if political activity disqualifies you from serving in the executive branch, there wouldn’t be many left to serve, so I don’t see it as a disqualifier.” Senate President Jack Kibbie, a Democrat from Emmetsburg, says there’s “nothing new” about appointing political contributors to state boards and commissions and he sees “no reason” Rastetter shouldn’t serve on the Board of Regents.

“I personally don’t have a problem with that,” Kibbie says. “He likes ethanol and so do I.” Rastetter is the C.E.O. of Hawkeye Energy Holdings, a company based in Ames with . Senator Jack Hatch, a Democrat from Des Moines, has a “business relationship” with Rastetter.

“Over the last couple of years the only thing we’ve really agreed on is our business ventures. We don’t talk about politics too often,” Hatch says. “There’s no question, though, that Bruce loves the state and loves the universities, has contributed money to the universities, has an entrepreneurial spirit that I think the Regents would benefit from.”

There’s no Senate rule that would prevent Hatch from voting to confirm Rastetter to the Board of Regents, but Hatch says it may have the appearance of a conflict and he may not vote on Rastetter’s nomination. Rastetter donated nearly $163,000 to Branstad’s 2010 campaign.

Photo courtesy of the Governor’s office.

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

Martensdale-St. Marys wins opener in Class 1A

February 28, 2011 By

After struggling for much of the game Martensdale-St. Marys played like the top ranked team in the final quarter. The Blue Devils outscored Newell-Fonda 17-5 in the final frame in a 47-34 victory in the class 1A quarterfinal round opener at the girls state basketball tournament.

Martensdale St. Marys senior guard Sam Norris says they were expecting a tough game, and they knew they had to play their game and not get too rushed. Norris finished with a game-high 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

The Blue Devils finally made their free throws down the stretch and that helped them pull away. They were only one of eight from the line in the opening half and finished the game by making only 11 of 26. Norris says they were too tense to start as she says free throws are a mental thing.

Newell-Fonda never found a groove on offense and made only 5 of 27 shots in the second half. Newell-Fonda coach Dick Jungers says they got into foul trouble and that ended up being the difference as his team couldn’t get to the line. Jungers was pleased with the Mustangs’ effort despite their shooting woes. He says they cam in to win and played hard for the whole game, they just needed some more shots to fall to get the win.

Alyssa Henrich led Newell-Fonda with 10 points as the Mustangs close the season with a record of 14-11. Martensdale-St. Marys will take a 24-2 record into the class 1A semifinals.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:
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