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AIB adding men’s basketball

July 25, 2011 By

Tony Giannetto says he is eager to get on the practice floor. For the past year Gianetto has been putting the pieces together of the new men’s basketball program at AIB College of business in Des Moines. The upcoming season will be the first for the program.

Giannetto says it seems like every day they take a couple of steps forward and then a step back. He says after over a year of planning, it seems like they are about ready to get to the x’s and o’s. The athletic program at AIB is relatively new but growing.

The school will also begin offering womens volleyball this year. Giannetto says the school looked at other institutions and saw how they have grown by adding athletics. He says it has generated some excitement around the campus.

Giannetto says each school offers unique challenges and AIB is no different. He says one of the biggest challenge is their limited business and accounting curriculum, and they’ve had to work hard to get the athletes that they have.

The Eagles will be a part of the Midwest Ciollegiate Conference and Giannetto says that has helped make it easier to put a schedule together. He says it hasn’t been difficult to find people who want to play them as he says they get letters every day from schools wanting to play them.

The first game for the program will be October 29th at home against York College.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:

Branstad talks about improving teachers at opening of summit (audio)

July 25, 2011 By

Governor Branstad spoke at the opening of his education summit today.

Governor Terry Branstad talked about his goals for improving Iowa’s education system during his opening remarks of his education summit today in Des Moines. One of the key efforts is to improve the quality of teachers.

Branstad says teachers face more challenges today than when he was in school and they must address that.

He says we must create more time for teachers to do their work and more professional development targeted for student improvement to help the students who’re struggling to learn.

[Read more...]

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

Swimmer nearly drowns in Pine Lake

July 25, 2011 By

There was a near-drowning last night in north-central Iowa. A swimmer at Lower Pine Lake in Hardin County was life flighted to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City from Grundy Memorial Hospital yesterday evening.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported that two friends pulled the 25 year old Eldora man from the water and started chest compressions to revive him Sunday afternoon, aided by the state park ranger. The friends said they had been drinking on the beach and decided to go swimming.

They swam out to the buoys and dove under them, then noticed that one of their group members had not surfaced. The man was under water for an estimated 15 minutes. The name of the individual has not been released.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Former Stockton official faces felony charges

July 25, 2011 By

A former city clerk in the Muscatine County town of Stockton has been charged with two counts of first-degree theft.Each charge that 57-year-old Larry McCoy faces is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

McCoy is accused of misappropriating funds while employed as the city clerk in Stockton, a town of 200. The charges are the result of an audit released last month by the state auditor.

The audit, for the period July 1st, 2004, through October 31st, 2010, says McCoy misspent more than $65,000 in city funds to cover personal expenses. It also estimates he failed to deposit more than $15,000 in utility collections.The city council placed McCoy on administrative leave in August 2010 after officials say he failed to respond to their questions. He resigned last February to avoid being fired.

Phil Roberts, Davenport

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Paul says Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s have “no credibility” in debt debate (audio)

July 25, 2011 By

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul says the debate about the nation’s debt ceiling is “artificial” and he accuses Wall Street agencies that set bond ratings of “misleading” the public.  

“Whether they sit down and connive to do this…but they have no credibility,” Paul says. “If they couldn’t tell us that there was a housing bubble, how can they tell us there’s a crisis, you know, coming?”

Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s have placed their credit ratings on U.S. debt under review for a potential downgrade if the debt ceiling isn’t raised. Wall Street analysts say that would send shockwaves through financial markets around the globe. Paul rejects the statements from Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s. 

“They have no credibility whatsoever,” Paul says. “And I think even though they’re not technically part of the government, I think they’re very much involved in politics and the threats and innuendos.”

Paul has been a long-time critic of the U.S. government’s monetary policy, from the decision to get rid of the so-called “gold standard” to the decisions of The Federal Reserve. He opposes raising the country’s credit limit and has called for dramatic federal spending cuts.

“Let’s say that we could wave a wand and we don’t have that law that says there should be a debt limit…and the president could raise the debt limit anytime he wants. I think it would devastate the markets,” Paul says. “…You think they’re printing money now? There’d be no restraints.”

Paul made his comments this morning during an appearance in Ames. The 100 people gathered in a hotel conference room to hear Paul also heard the Story County GOP chairman publicly endorse the Texas congressman’s bid for the White House.

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

Iowa Corn Growers to weigh in on presidential candidates

July 25, 2011 By

The Iowa Corn Growers Association has launched an effort to form a relationship with the presidential candidates campaigning in the state. Bruce Rohwer is the organization’s Political Action Committee chair and a farmer from Paullina in northwest Iowa. He says the Corn Caucus Project’s goal is to discuss important agricultural issues with all the campaigns.

“That gives us an opportunity to get our positions across to these candidates, so they can have an understanding of agriculture,” Rohwer said. “Not every candidate comes from the Midwest or Iowa and they, quite frankly, have a lot to learn.” The Iowa Corn Growers Association will not endorse a candidate, but Rohwer says the group will be pushing candidate to keep “safety nets” in place like the Crop Insurance Program.

“Likewise, the Title One Commodity funds in the past have been utilized when agriculture was in a downturn – which we’re not right now, but we know agriculture is cyclical,” Rohwer said. “There may come a time when we need assistance again, so we would like to see some funding be available.”

The Corn Caucus Project will also include a policy survey for candidates and media tracking. Rohwer says corn growers will get involved in the campaigns by volunteering and attending candidate events. He notes it’s worthwhile to meet with candidates who fail to win the party’s nomination.

“Some go back to legislative work, whether it be the House or Senate, and hopefully we’ve been able to give them a better understanding of what agriculture is in America,” Rohwer said. The Corn Growers Association will evaluate candidate positions on corn policy issues and share the results with its members, other agricultural groups and the media prior to the Iowa Caucuses in February 2012.

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

Heat wave brings crowded waterways, potential for boating accidents

July 25, 2011 By

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is reminding boaters to pay attention to their surroundings after a scary moment on the water for a teenager in Dubuque County.

On Saturday evening, the 14-year-old girl was floating on an inner-tube at a Mississippi River beach when a boat backed into her. The propeller cut her leg and she was rushed to the hospital to be treated for the injury.

Dale Barton from Sherill says he was walking along the beach when he heard the girl scream. “She was just cut up on the outside of her leg from what I could see,” Barton said. “She was really lucky I think. It could have been much worse.”

Dubuque County DNR Conservation Officer Nathan Johnson says this is the third accident on the Mississippi River near Dubuque this summer. “For whatever reason this summer, this being the third accident we’ve had, that’s more than what I experienced when I was here five or six years ago,” Johnson said.

The conservation officer says the heat wave sweeping the Midwest maybe partly to blame with more people flocking to local beaches, lakes and rivers to cool off.

Barton, who’s an experienced boater, says this just means people need to be more cautious. “It’s when you get in close quarters, when you’re tubing and skiing, that’s when you got to be careful,” Barton said. “A lot of people get caught up in the moment, they’re talking to their friends in the boat or listening to the stereo and they’re not watching what’s going on behind or in front of them.”

Numbers from The Army Corps of Engineers also show this has been a dangerous year on the water. Last May, the Corps reported 39 deaths on their properties nationwide. This year, 57 people have died at Corps operated lakes. The Corps has three lakes in Iowa: Saylorville near Des Moines, Lake Red Rock in Pella and Coralville Lake in Iowa City.

By Jillian Petrus, KCRG-TV

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters
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