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Iowa Speedway has tickets available for NASCAR race

July 25, 2011 By

Next week’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the Iowa Speedway is officially “sold out” but there are still plenty of tickets remaining. Iowa Speedway president Jerry Jauron says they will be brining in temporary seating for the U.S. Cellular 250.

Jauron says the temporary seats come in from Indiana, and some fans wait for the seats as they are cheaper. He says the permanent grandstand will sell out, but they will never run out of the temporary seats, and they will not turn anyone away.

The U.S. Cellular 250 is August sixth.

Filed Under: Sports

King says U.S. is not going to default on debt

July 25, 2011 By

Iowa Congressman Steve King is taking issue with some of the political rhetoric surrounding the debate over the debt crisis. “There’s been a lot of misinformation that’s been put out there,” King said. “Our leaders in (both) parties, the president included, should drop the word ‘default’ from the dialogue.

The United States of America is not going to default on its debt.” King, a Republican from Kiron in western Iowa, backed the so-called “cut, cap and balance” plan that called for a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget. The Senate rejected the bill.

An August 2nd deadline is drawing near for lawmakers to reach a debt agreement. King says he disagrees with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner who said a deal on the debt ceiling is needed now to remove the threat of default during the political campaign season.

“Geithner says he believes Republicans are praying for a default. I don’t know any Republicans who would agree with that statement and I don’t know any Republicans who want to see default,” King said. “But we have to do something about our spending…the president’s determined to increase taxes and wants to continue spending. That’s the argument. It’s not about default and they shouldn’t talk about default.”

King says there’s enough money to pay for social security, Medicare and national defense and pay down the nation’s debt. But, he says it’ll require spending cuts. King made his comments in an interview with Radio Iowa over the noon hour today. He posted a message on Twitter saying President Obama “would be impeached” if he blocked debt payments and the nation falls into default.

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

Osage releases more details on drowning

July 25, 2011 By

City officials released more details on the drowning of a two-year-old boy Sunday at the Cedar River Complex in Osage. Two year old Ryan Detmering was with his family at the C-R-C on Sunday for a family reunion. His family resides in the Fort Dodge area. Osage Mayor Steve Cooper said today there were two certified lifeguards on duty at the time.

Cooper says there was also a trained volunteer known as a “guard start” at the pool. The volunteer guard notified the certified lifeguards that the child was in danger, and the guards immediately started C-P-R after learning of the problem. Cooper says it has been a tough thing for everyone.

“Clearly the entire C-R-C staff and board are heartbroken over this child’s death, and we’re sorry for the family’s loss,” Cooper says, ” I want you to know a lot of people are hurting over what happened yesterday.”

A crisis meeting for the community will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the C-R-C auditorium. The complex remains closed until the investigation is complete.

By Chris Berg, KCHA, Charles City

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

U.S. Ag Secretary optimistic despite Iowa flooding

July 25, 2011 By

Despite thousands of acres of western Iowa farmland being under floodwaters, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he’s very optimistic when it comes to Iowa’s largest industry — agriculture. Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, says it’s shaping up to be a very good year for farming.

“This year should be the best ever for American agricultural exports,” Vilsack says. “They’ll top $137-billion dollars and support over one-million American jobs. At the same time, we’re looking to expand opportunities for producers to sell their products regionally and in their own communities. That helps keep wealth right here in America and creates good paying jobs in our rural communities.”

Vilsack says many areas of the country are seeing success with the “Buy Local” campaign. With the help of technology and science, he says farmers and livestock produces continue to make great strides in their professions.

“Finally, we’re working to drive innovation through cutting edge research,” Vilsack says. “In the past few years alone, USDA has helped reveal the genetic blueprints for a host of plants and animals, including corn, soybeans, pigs and turkeys, to help combat diseases and increase productivity. This builds on our long-standing partnership with American farmers which has helped double, triple and even quadruple yields of major crops during a lifetime.”

Vilsack adds, U.S.D.A. will continue to support good markets and innovation so the ag industry remains strong.

By Karla James

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

Martensdale-St. Marys extends win streak to 85

July 25, 2011 By

Martensdale-St. Marys put their 84-game win streak on the line today in the opening round of the Class 1A state baseball tournament. The win streak continued with some drama, as David Walker singled in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Martensdale-St. Mary’s a 2-1 win over English Valleys.

Four pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts for Martensdale-St. Marys, with Ethan Westphal getting the win, after going two-thirds of an inning for the Blue Devils.

By Chris Varney, KGRN, Grinnell

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:

Education Secretary talks tough budgets, six-figure teacher salaries

July 25, 2011 By

U.S. Education Secretary, Arne Duncan

The U.S. Education Secretary talked about tough budget times — while also suggesting that the best teachers should be paid six-figure salaries — during a question and answer period today at the governor’s education summit.

Secretary Arne Duncan was asked about future education spending and said the tough economic times are not going to turn around overnight.

He says the “honest conversation” we need to have is around the “new normal of tough budget times” and how to use limited resources. Duncan says the one thing he tells states is to stay away from across the board budget cuts, because that tells him they have no idea which of their resources are making a difference.

[Read more...]

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

Ron Paul says he’ll “hopefully come in first” in Straw Poll (audio)

July 25, 2011 By

Presidential candidate Ron Paul seems to be raising the stakes for his finish in next month’s Iowa Republican Party Straw Poll. 

“I wished I could say I’m the front-runner and nobody’s ahead of me and it’s a shoe-in,” Paul said this morning. “But the truth is that we can do and will do very, very well and hopefully come in first.” 

Rival Michele Bachmann is now calling herself an “underdog” in that upcoming competition, while Tim Pawlenty says, win or lose, the Straw Poll’s outcome won’t decide whether he’ll stay in the race. Paul spoke to about 100 people this morning in Ames — the city that will host the Straw Poll festivities. Paul called his Iowa supporters a “unique” group of “driven” people. 

“Voting in the Ames Straw (Poll), when you think of it nationally…since you get so much attention and can make-or-break some people in campaigning, it’s worth a lot more than a hundred individuals voting, it could be to a thousand of votes for (just one person) to show up and vote and make a difference in a race,” Paul said. “That’s why I’m here…That’s why I think the Ames Straw (Poll) is important.”

With the stakes so high, the war of words between the two Minnesotans in the presidential race has escalated. Pawlenty’s campaign accuses Bachmann of doing little more in congress than make speeches and offer amendments that fail, while Bachmann’s camp then accused Pawlenty of being an advocate of bigger and more intrusive government. Paul suggests Bachmann and Pawlenty are currently engaged in a “style versus substance” debate.

“But I see the other candidates all in one group, who do not come out and explicitly say what we must do and what the nature of our problem actually is,” Paul said this morning in Ames.

Paul campaigned in Cedar Rapids this afternoon.  His son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, arrives in Iowa later this week for a bus tour around the state to promote his father’s campaign.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,
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