Good Friday morning.
News of an arrest in connection with the death of Evelyn Miller is relief for her family. We've got more reaction this morning including how her hometown paper in Charles City is reporting the case. ___________________________________________________________________
There's a new tape out from Osama Bin Laden. He's got a praise for the late leader of his group in Iraq, and a warning for President Bush.
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Meanwhile all is not quiet in the Middle East where it looks like the situation in the Gaza Strip is actually deteriorating. The kidnapping of one Israeli soldier sparked this latest ramp up in fighting between Palestinians and the Israeli Army.
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The US Supreme Court decided detainees at the Guantanimo Base can't be tried in war Crime Tribunals. Here's the full opinion and the President's reaction.
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We're still digesting the Annie E Casey foundation's Kid's Count report. One of the Headlines pulled from it today. Fewer kids drop out of Iowa High Schools that in any other state.
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To the weekend now and an early Fireworks display. Someone needs to get the people over at Yankee Doodle Pops a calendar. We're going to have fireworks tonight, June 30th...Not close to the 4th of July. Not sure why. Why wouldn't we do this Sunday night? Even Monday night. Most people have the day off Tuesday.
Anyway it's always a great show.
Getting there and going home should be a trick with all of the downtown construction. There are some suggestions to get you through the traffic on the link above.
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This weekend also kicks off an event that I'm not sure Iowans have wrapped their arms around just yet. The first ever National Special Olympics Games are in Ames starting this weekend. That's a BIG DEAL.
It starts Saturday with an airlift to the Des Moines Airport. The people at Cessna, and a host of volunteer pilots are bringing in about half of the athletes that will compete. They're coming in on about 230 flights from 39 airports in 28 states. The planes are going to land and take off in about 90 second intervals. It should be quite a show at the airport.
Here's a schedule for the games if you're looking for more information.
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The president's approval rating got a boost in the latest LA Times Poll. Maybe he did a nice job in a duet with the Japanese Prime Minister. The two are headed to Graceland today. Apparently, Mr. Koizumi is a big fan of "The King".
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On a more personal note...I think it's weird how things happen sometimes?
I say that in this context: I woke up at 2am to a WHO radio report that Northwestern University Football Coach Randy Walker died last night. The news is almost never on when the alarm turns on, the announcer had just started the story about Walker, and my wife went to Northwestern. Walker was the fist coach to lead Northwestern to three bowl games and was generally considered a good coach and a good guy. Just weird that the story came on at the same time my alarm went off this morning.
We both grew up running the nearly empty stands at Northwestern games on fall Saturdays. That's when they used to let you into the games for free. Any Saturday we can watch the Cats we usually do. We actually got booed in the mall this year when we wore out Northwestern gear out after they beat Iowa.
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Hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend. The Morning Buzz is taking the weekend off and that includes Monday and Tuesday.
As always your questions and comments are welcome.
Patrick Dix
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Excessive Force? Excessive Rain, and Excessive Gas (prices)
In Eldora, Iowa, The Iowa Division of Criminal investigation will be looking into the circumstances surrounding the arrest and death of a 22 year-old. The man was wanted on a parole violation and some of the witnesses say he resisted arrest...That's where details become a little cloudy...
At some point he stopped breathing and police had to call an ambulance. Doctors pronounced Brian Gregory Jr. Dead at an Iowa Falls hospital.
It's gotta stop raining at some point on the East coast. Now, tens of thousands of people are out of their homes and there's hundreds of millions of dollars in flood damage across several states.
AP has some good video to give you an idea about the flooding.
Here's some more from MSNBC.
Bad news for the July 4th holiday, gas prices are up. Here in Iowa we made a 10 cent per gallon jump from earlier this week. We were the first to report ethanol prices would likely shoot past regular gas in the coming days and sure enough...It's happened in a lot of places.
Interesting side note here; for a lot of gas stations that means they have to repaint signs. Most Iowa gas stations have signs that give the price of what we call super unleaded. That's the ethanol blend that's traditionally been cheaper. Now regular is their best price. The question is, do you repaint, or wait until ethanol supplies catch up with demand and the price goes down?
Also today, E-85 is going for cheap at a West Des Moines Kum n Go. They're selling E-85 for .85 cents a gallon. It's only goin from 9am till 3pm today.
Lat day to weigh in on the Zoo plans for expansion. That's tonight at the Zoo's Discovery Center at 6:30 pm.
Cyclone fans are happy to see Will Blaylock going in the NBA Draft. He will forever be the answer to the trivia question, "Who was taken last in the 2006 NBA draft"?
Here's how the Detroit papers rate Blaylock as a pick for the Pistons.
Want cleaner teeth? Eat Cranberries.
There's more description of the final hours spent below ground for the miners who died in the Sago WV disaster. The interview with survivor Randal McCloy Jr is chilling.
I forgot to tell you yesterday, Jeriann says the haze we're seeing is from Canadian widfires. The wind apparently was just the right direction to carry some of the smoke and haze our way and lock it in because of high pressure. She's full of fun facts.
Hot and humid today.
Have a good one,
Patrick Dix
At some point he stopped breathing and police had to call an ambulance. Doctors pronounced Brian Gregory Jr. Dead at an Iowa Falls hospital.
It's gotta stop raining at some point on the East coast. Now, tens of thousands of people are out of their homes and there's hundreds of millions of dollars in flood damage across several states.
AP has some good video to give you an idea about the flooding.
Here's some more from MSNBC.
Bad news for the July 4th holiday, gas prices are up. Here in Iowa we made a 10 cent per gallon jump from earlier this week. We were the first to report ethanol prices would likely shoot past regular gas in the coming days and sure enough...It's happened in a lot of places.
Interesting side note here; for a lot of gas stations that means they have to repaint signs. Most Iowa gas stations have signs that give the price of what we call super unleaded. That's the ethanol blend that's traditionally been cheaper. Now regular is their best price. The question is, do you repaint, or wait until ethanol supplies catch up with demand and the price goes down?
Also today, E-85 is going for cheap at a West Des Moines Kum n Go. They're selling E-85 for .85 cents a gallon. It's only goin from 9am till 3pm today.
Lat day to weigh in on the Zoo plans for expansion. That's tonight at the Zoo's Discovery Center at 6:30 pm.
Cyclone fans are happy to see Will Blaylock going in the NBA Draft. He will forever be the answer to the trivia question, "Who was taken last in the 2006 NBA draft"?
Here's how the Detroit papers rate Blaylock as a pick for the Pistons.
Want cleaner teeth? Eat Cranberries.
There's more description of the final hours spent below ground for the miners who died in the Sago WV disaster. The interview with survivor Randal McCloy Jr is chilling.
I forgot to tell you yesterday, Jeriann says the haze we're seeing is from Canadian widfires. The wind apparently was just the right direction to carry some of the smoke and haze our way and lock it in because of high pressure. She's full of fun facts.
Hot and humid today.
Have a good one,
Patrick Dix
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Penny for your thoughts...
At least that's how much the folks at Project Destiny are asking you to pay in increased sales tax.
The money would be used in part for property tax relief, in part for cultural attractions, and in part to pay for services and quality of life projects each city wants to do. This group is trying to get the penny sales tax increase on the ballot. It's going to be an interesting debate.
Is this a way to "even out" the tax system in the metro? The city of Des Moines has a large number of the non-profit, government, or other tax-exempt agencies in the metro. The argument goes, Des Moines' property taxes are much higher because it''s carrying the burden of providing services to them. This, would create a way to fund some of them, and pay of rthings like Fire and police protection without putting the entire burden on Des Moines Homeowners.
The argument against is pretty easy these days. With the CIETC salary scandal still unfolding and the Des Moines Schools shutting down buildings they'd planned to renovate with the last one cent sales tax increase, there are a lot of people who will be skeptical about giving the government more money, "for our benefit".
There are some pretty heavy hitters pushing this thing. Most of the big employers in town think this is a way to fund improvements in trails, culture and the arts. It's the kind of thing that might get more people interested in moving to Des Moines and Central Iowa.
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Clive has it's traffic cameras up and running today. Don't run any red lights on Hickman.
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Here's one for debate. The Senate voted on an amendment to the constitution that would have allowed congress to ban desecration of the US flag.
A lot of people feel passionate about this one and I'm not about to tell anyone their position is wrong. Both Iowa Senators issued statements after the vote and I'm sure we'll hear more from them.
Isn't that what that flag is all about? We're all able to have an opinion about this, argue, debate, and express ourselves as we see fit.
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Speaking of Congress, US Senator Charles Grassley is proposing an interesting way to deal with pimps. Hey, it worked for Al Capone.
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Keeping it on politics, Dave Price's Blog has more on why the media was kicked out of CIETC meetings yesterday. This is a good read.
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I said yesterday, the town of Clinton Missouri would have to support the families of the people hurt and the one man killed in Monday's building collapse. Now it looks like Iowa Elks are stepping in to help as well.
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As I write this blog, there's a lot happening around town...A crash on I-35/80 shut things down on the north side of town, and as many as 10 people went to the hospital from an east side home because of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
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Superman seemed to be a big hit with audiences who saw it overnight. It opens in theatres today which means a lot of papers have reviews of the movie. Here's USA Today, NY Times and the DSM Register. Everyone gives the effects high marks, the storyline is better than average and Iowa native Brandon Routh gets fair to good reviews.
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Finally, a "thank you" to the people over at the Des Moines Business Record. I was invited to participate in the Fittest CEO contest last night. Since I am neither fit, nor a CEO I just acted as Master of Ceremonies. There are a lot of people who feel passionatly about the issue of fitness. I'm warning up to the idea that if I keep myself fit, it reduces insurance costs for the rest of you. If everyone took that stance, we might see a lot less taken out of our checks for Health insurance.
Have a good Wednesday.
Patrick Dix
The money would be used in part for property tax relief, in part for cultural attractions, and in part to pay for services and quality of life projects each city wants to do. This group is trying to get the penny sales tax increase on the ballot. It's going to be an interesting debate.
Is this a way to "even out" the tax system in the metro? The city of Des Moines has a large number of the non-profit, government, or other tax-exempt agencies in the metro. The argument goes, Des Moines' property taxes are much higher because it''s carrying the burden of providing services to them. This, would create a way to fund some of them, and pay of rthings like Fire and police protection without putting the entire burden on Des Moines Homeowners.
The argument against is pretty easy these days. With the CIETC salary scandal still unfolding and the Des Moines Schools shutting down buildings they'd planned to renovate with the last one cent sales tax increase, there are a lot of people who will be skeptical about giving the government more money, "for our benefit".
There are some pretty heavy hitters pushing this thing. Most of the big employers in town think this is a way to fund improvements in trails, culture and the arts. It's the kind of thing that might get more people interested in moving to Des Moines and Central Iowa.
___________________________________________________________________
Clive has it's traffic cameras up and running today. Don't run any red lights on Hickman.
___________________________________________________________________
Here's one for debate. The Senate voted on an amendment to the constitution that would have allowed congress to ban desecration of the US flag.
A lot of people feel passionate about this one and I'm not about to tell anyone their position is wrong. Both Iowa Senators issued statements after the vote and I'm sure we'll hear more from them.
Isn't that what that flag is all about? We're all able to have an opinion about this, argue, debate, and express ourselves as we see fit.
___________________________________________________________________
Speaking of Congress, US Senator Charles Grassley is proposing an interesting way to deal with pimps. Hey, it worked for Al Capone.
___________________________________________________________________
Keeping it on politics, Dave Price's Blog has more on why the media was kicked out of CIETC meetings yesterday. This is a good read.
___________________________________________________________________
I said yesterday, the town of Clinton Missouri would have to support the families of the people hurt and the one man killed in Monday's building collapse. Now it looks like Iowa Elks are stepping in to help as well.
___________________________________________________________________
As I write this blog, there's a lot happening around town...A crash on I-35/80 shut things down on the north side of town, and as many as 10 people went to the hospital from an east side home because of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
___________________________________________________________________
Superman seemed to be a big hit with audiences who saw it overnight. It opens in theatres today which means a lot of papers have reviews of the movie. Here's USA Today, NY Times and the DSM Register. Everyone gives the effects high marks, the storyline is better than average and Iowa native Brandon Routh gets fair to good reviews.
__________________________________________________________________
Finally, a "thank you" to the people over at the Des Moines Business Record. I was invited to participate in the Fittest CEO contest last night. Since I am neither fit, nor a CEO I just acted as Master of Ceremonies. There are a lot of people who feel passionatly about the issue of fitness. I'm warning up to the idea that if I keep myself fit, it reduces insurance costs for the rest of you. If everyone took that stance, we might see a lot less taken out of our checks for Health insurance.
Have a good Wednesday.
Patrick Dix
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Trapped, What happened to Evelyn?, and A blockbuster opening.
Sometimes the places we talk about in the news are hard to picture because we've never been there...This morning that's not the case for me.
In Clinton, Missouri, a building collapsed late last night set off a search and rescue operation by hundreds of people. They worked for the better part of 14 hours before we found out 9 of the ten people trapped after the collapse had been saved. A tenth person missing most of the night, was in fact dead.
I know Clinton. I usually stop there in August when I go down to the Ozarks fishing. It wouldn't be hard for a lot of you to picture it...It's like a lot of Iowa towns...friendly and full of people who will turn to each other for help after this accident.
We expect to get an update on the investigation into Evelyn Miller's death today. Hopefully prosecutors will have more than..."We're working on it".
A Des Moines teen who's here illegally won't be deported. Stephanie Izaguire came to the US from Honduras. Her mom died, she was alone in Honduras and fell into the care of a woman who sold her into prostitution at the age of 11. She decided to get out and come find her sister...Living here in Des Moines.
Since coming to the US Stephanie has graduated high school, she hasn't had any run-ins with the law and when you meet her you find a bright and faith-filled person.
This is why the debate over immigration isn't always as black and white and some people think it is. Should we send her back? I think you'd have to seriously ask yourself if that would be OUR loss.
It's HIV/Aids testing day across the country and as we talked about this morning someone brought up the question...Is this really a problem in IOWA? The answer is yes and no. The latest government report in Iowa is interesting, and Iowa's meth problem only complicates the spread if people are using needles to inject the drug.
Gas prices went up in the afternoon yesterday. Happy 4th of July.
The latest Iowa Youth Survey finds decreased drug use among teens.
Superman Returns is finally public tonight. I haven't talked to anyone who says this movie is bad. We're sponsoring the IMAX version of the film at the Science Center of Iowa. We'll have the first actually viewers on the show tomorrow with their review of the movie.
Here's more on the study of teen pregnancies and infant health. Headlines here is, fewer teens are having babies but more of them are living in poverty.
A story we didn't put in the newscast, but is still interesting is this study about homosexuality and birth order. Apparently if you are the fourth or fifth boy in your family...You're more likely to be gay.
Jeriann says rain today.
Enjoy!
PWD
In Clinton, Missouri, a building collapsed late last night set off a search and rescue operation by hundreds of people. They worked for the better part of 14 hours before we found out 9 of the ten people trapped after the collapse had been saved. A tenth person missing most of the night, was in fact dead.
I know Clinton. I usually stop there in August when I go down to the Ozarks fishing. It wouldn't be hard for a lot of you to picture it...It's like a lot of Iowa towns...friendly and full of people who will turn to each other for help after this accident.
We expect to get an update on the investigation into Evelyn Miller's death today. Hopefully prosecutors will have more than..."We're working on it".
A Des Moines teen who's here illegally won't be deported. Stephanie Izaguire came to the US from Honduras. Her mom died, she was alone in Honduras and fell into the care of a woman who sold her into prostitution at the age of 11. She decided to get out and come find her sister...Living here in Des Moines.
Since coming to the US Stephanie has graduated high school, she hasn't had any run-ins with the law and when you meet her you find a bright and faith-filled person.
This is why the debate over immigration isn't always as black and white and some people think it is. Should we send her back? I think you'd have to seriously ask yourself if that would be OUR loss.
It's HIV/Aids testing day across the country and as we talked about this morning someone brought up the question...Is this really a problem in IOWA? The answer is yes and no. The latest government report in Iowa is interesting, and Iowa's meth problem only complicates the spread if people are using needles to inject the drug.
Gas prices went up in the afternoon yesterday. Happy 4th of July.
The latest Iowa Youth Survey finds decreased drug use among teens.
Superman Returns is finally public tonight. I haven't talked to anyone who says this movie is bad. We're sponsoring the IMAX version of the film at the Science Center of Iowa. We'll have the first actually viewers on the show tomorrow with their review of the movie.
Here's more on the study of teen pregnancies and infant health. Headlines here is, fewer teens are having babies but more of them are living in poverty.
A story we didn't put in the newscast, but is still interesting is this study about homosexuality and birth order. Apparently if you are the fourth or fifth boy in your family...You're more likely to be gay.
Jeriann says rain today.
Enjoy!
PWD
Monday, June 26, 2006
Troop Reductions, Superman Returns and Warren's Charity Buffet
The top US general in Iraq says he's got a plan to reduce the number of troops in Iraq in half starting this fall. The Democrats say this is just an election ploy by the administration. You'll remember two Democratic resolutions calling for troop withdrawal by the end of 2007 failed to pass the Senate last week.
Add to that story, Rep. Peter King's outrage about a NYTimes story that went to print lastly week. The congressman, who's also head of the House Committee on Homeland Security says he's going to ask the Attorney General to investigate whether The Times compromised anti-terrorism efforts. Apparently, the administration asked the paper not to publish the report. The editors said they considered it in the public interest to go with the story.
So that brings up an interesting question for debate. Who's right here? When should a paper or a TV station have to hold a story in the interest of national security. There have been stories and editorials all over the media about this all weekend.
Bring it down to the local level. We've been asked to hold stories we were ready to air because law enforcement asked us to. Is that the responsibility of a free press, or is it the media's responsibility to get the story out there for public debate?
Superman flew into Iowa this weekend in the form of Brandon Routh(like south). The new Man of Steel gave a private showing of the newsest installment of the Superman Movie for friends, family and a bunch of kids from Variety Club. Good cause...Everyone continues to say this is a good guy who's representing Iowa well on the national stage. I'm excited to see the movie.
The Des Moines Arts Festival is being called a big success this weekend. I thought the new location was great. I know that's a mixed blessing for organizers. Principal is paying a lot of money to spruce up the Downtown riverfront. They like that everyone was comfortable in the western gateway park, but they don't want everyone to like it too much. They've got to go back to the Riverfront when the construction is done.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the WHO booth this weekend. I had fun meeting some new people and seeing those of you who are always down to say hello and let us know there's someone on the other side of that camera lens.
Maybe the talker of the day is Warren Buffet's announcement that he'll give away as much as $37 BILLION dollars of his fortune. Now, don't go having any garage sales for Warren.
He's still got a ton of money, but what a decision!
Would you make the same decision?
Also interesting. I talked to a friend who's in fundraising and she told me these announcements are nice, but she opened my eyes to another end of raising money for a good cause. She said it's the "smaller" donations that often mean the most. If you think about it, the 5 dollar a week donation from the guy making five dollars an hour can make people who've got the disposable income feel like that particular cause is one people are passionate about. Think about that next time you feel like your small donation doesn't make a difference, or isn't noticed.
Finally, the Hy-Vee classic finished up this weekend. Another good Des Moines event. This morning's paper made it sound like Hy-Vee was considering some changes. I don't mean to speculate here, and I'm not. But if I were King of Hy-Vee and had all the money in the world, I might look at a combo, LPGA/PGA senior event here. It would combine the best of the Allianz, and the Hy-vee Classic. The LPGA Players are fun to watch and you talk about fan friendly! They're great.
Hope you all enjoy the wonderful weather we're supposed to have today.
Patrick Dix
Add to that story, Rep. Peter King's outrage about a NYTimes story that went to print lastly week. The congressman, who's also head of the House Committee on Homeland Security says he's going to ask the Attorney General to investigate whether The Times compromised anti-terrorism efforts. Apparently, the administration asked the paper not to publish the report. The editors said they considered it in the public interest to go with the story.
So that brings up an interesting question for debate. Who's right here? When should a paper or a TV station have to hold a story in the interest of national security. There have been stories and editorials all over the media about this all weekend.
Bring it down to the local level. We've been asked to hold stories we were ready to air because law enforcement asked us to. Is that the responsibility of a free press, or is it the media's responsibility to get the story out there for public debate?
Superman flew into Iowa this weekend in the form of Brandon Routh(like south). The new Man of Steel gave a private showing of the newsest installment of the Superman Movie for friends, family and a bunch of kids from Variety Club. Good cause...Everyone continues to say this is a good guy who's representing Iowa well on the national stage. I'm excited to see the movie.
The Des Moines Arts Festival is being called a big success this weekend. I thought the new location was great. I know that's a mixed blessing for organizers. Principal is paying a lot of money to spruce up the Downtown riverfront. They like that everyone was comfortable in the western gateway park, but they don't want everyone to like it too much. They've got to go back to the Riverfront when the construction is done.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the WHO booth this weekend. I had fun meeting some new people and seeing those of you who are always down to say hello and let us know there's someone on the other side of that camera lens.
Maybe the talker of the day is Warren Buffet's announcement that he'll give away as much as $37 BILLION dollars of his fortune. Now, don't go having any garage sales for Warren.
He's still got a ton of money, but what a decision!
Would you make the same decision?
Also interesting. I talked to a friend who's in fundraising and she told me these announcements are nice, but she opened my eyes to another end of raising money for a good cause. She said it's the "smaller" donations that often mean the most. If you think about it, the 5 dollar a week donation from the guy making five dollars an hour can make people who've got the disposable income feel like that particular cause is one people are passionate about. Think about that next time you feel like your small donation doesn't make a difference, or isn't noticed.
Finally, the Hy-Vee classic finished up this weekend. Another good Des Moines event. This morning's paper made it sound like Hy-Vee was considering some changes. I don't mean to speculate here, and I'm not. But if I were King of Hy-Vee and had all the money in the world, I might look at a combo, LPGA/PGA senior event here. It would combine the best of the Allianz, and the Hy-vee Classic. The LPGA Players are fun to watch and you talk about fan friendly! They're great.
Hope you all enjoy the wonderful weather we're supposed to have today.
Patrick Dix
Friday, June 23, 2006
Flying Solo, Foiling a terror plot, and Flames force an evacuation overnight.
Let me start by saying morning's like this one are the times I appreciate Trisha the most. She's on a well deserved vacation today, so I'm by myself on the desk. Of course, when we're one person down...We've got a lot of news to talk about.
First, a fire In West Des Moines kept firefighters busy. It's wasn't that the fire was so hard to fight. We listened to them try to clear out the 25 apartments for about 20 minutes.
This morning's we'll hear more from the federal government about an alleged terroist plot to bomb both the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Federal Building in Miami. The group these guys belong to is apparently called, "The Moors".
In Des Moines this weekend, there just seems to be a lot going on. First and foremost, It's Arts Festival weekend. The big deal for a lot of you will be getting there. The Festival moved this year because the downtown bridges are under construction. It's part of the Riverwalk project. Hope the links to directions and parking help.
Also , Centro will re-open. The popular downtown restaurant closed after a fire in the kitchen.
Live Music this afternoon at the state Historical Society, Clive after Five, Urbandale FridayFest and the Alive concert series down at the Simon Estes amphitheater.
At Principal Park this weekend one of the "big Cubs" is supposed to come to town. Derek Lee injured himself in April and the Cubs have been in a tailspin ever since. His bat will be welcome in Des Moines this weekend but I'm sure the Cubs want him back with the big club as soon as possible.
If you've been following the debate over which state should go first in the Presidential Primary/Caucus parade...There's some news on that front and The New Englanders who take this stuff very seriously aren't happy.
Meanwhile, the Blank Park Zoo is continuing to formulate it's plans to expand on the south side. We knew the Zoo was going to bulge out to the northeast, what we didn't know is that the Zoo would take over part of the Blank Golf Course. The schools get involved in the land swap here it starts to look like a Persian bizarre.
A new study out today talks about the importance of doing some kind of pre-marriage classes before you tie the knot. We had the standard pre-wedding get together with another couple the Church hooked us up with. It was good. We still joke about the questions on the survey we had to fill out, "Sometimes I think I don't want to marry my fiancee...Agree, Disagree, don't know." Yeah, that's the kind of indebted question that might throw up a red flag or two.
The best part about it is that we can laugh about it. We're fortunate, we worked hard and have a great marriage.
The other fun one was the study about language development. British researchers say even if your kids look a little dopey when they blow bubbles with their spit...They actually could turn out to be linguists of the highest order.
My favorite story of the morning...More government computers stolen but you'll never guess who's personal information might now be out there for identity thieves to use. Karma's no fun sometimes.
Our new Producer survived her first week on the job and did a fantastic job. It's not easy to get up when everyone else is going to bed and put this show together. We're lucky on Today in Iowa. We have some of the best producers, directors, camera operators and technical staff in the City. I wouldn't trade my shift for any other...Really I wouldn't.
Have a good weekend.
First, a fire In West Des Moines kept firefighters busy. It's wasn't that the fire was so hard to fight. We listened to them try to clear out the 25 apartments for about 20 minutes.
This morning's we'll hear more from the federal government about an alleged terroist plot to bomb both the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Federal Building in Miami. The group these guys belong to is apparently called, "The Moors".
In Des Moines this weekend, there just seems to be a lot going on. First and foremost, It's Arts Festival weekend. The big deal for a lot of you will be getting there. The Festival moved this year because the downtown bridges are under construction. It's part of the Riverwalk project. Hope the links to directions and parking help.
Also , Centro will re-open. The popular downtown restaurant closed after a fire in the kitchen.
Live Music this afternoon at the state Historical Society, Clive after Five, Urbandale FridayFest and the Alive concert series down at the Simon Estes amphitheater.
At Principal Park this weekend one of the "big Cubs" is supposed to come to town. Derek Lee injured himself in April and the Cubs have been in a tailspin ever since. His bat will be welcome in Des Moines this weekend but I'm sure the Cubs want him back with the big club as soon as possible.
If you've been following the debate over which state should go first in the Presidential Primary/Caucus parade...There's some news on that front and The New Englanders who take this stuff very seriously aren't happy.
Meanwhile, the Blank Park Zoo is continuing to formulate it's plans to expand on the south side. We knew the Zoo was going to bulge out to the northeast, what we didn't know is that the Zoo would take over part of the Blank Golf Course. The schools get involved in the land swap here it starts to look like a Persian bizarre.
A new study out today talks about the importance of doing some kind of pre-marriage classes before you tie the knot. We had the standard pre-wedding get together with another couple the Church hooked us up with. It was good. We still joke about the questions on the survey we had to fill out, "Sometimes I think I don't want to marry my fiancee...Agree, Disagree, don't know." Yeah, that's the kind of indebted question that might throw up a red flag or two.
The best part about it is that we can laugh about it. We're fortunate, we worked hard and have a great marriage.
The other fun one was the study about language development. British researchers say even if your kids look a little dopey when they blow bubbles with their spit...They actually could turn out to be linguists of the highest order.
My favorite story of the morning...More government computers stolen but you'll never guess who's personal information might now be out there for identity thieves to use. Karma's no fun sometimes.
Our new Producer survived her first week on the job and did a fantastic job. It's not easy to get up when everyone else is going to bed and put this show together. We're lucky on Today in Iowa. We have some of the best producers, directors, camera operators and technical staff in the City. I wouldn't trade my shift for any other...Really I wouldn't.
Have a good weekend.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Deadly Day, Busy Weekend, and Big Changes.
The news out of Iraq and Afghanistan was not good this morning. Five more US Service members died in Iraq and four more soldiers died in Afghanistan. That news comes during the continued debate in the US Senate over when we should bring troops home.
It also comes on the heels of an Army announcement that they want to shorten deployments for soldiers. The Army thinks more soldiers will sign up for the a return trip to the middle east if they shorten deployments to six or none months.
Here in Des Moines the disturbing story of a puppy being killed on the near north side sparked a police investigation. I was thinking about this case and the re-trail of Andrea Yates in Houston today. The two are very different topics but I find myself asking over and over, what would make someone kill an animal or hurt a child in any way? I don't get it.
Rep. Steve King apologized for comments he made at the Republican State convention this weekend. There are so many things we could say about this. None of them are appropriate. All of them get me in trouble with somebody.
As the Hy-Vee Classic begins at Hyperion Club in Johnston, we're learning the other big golf event in the metro is leaving. The Des Moines registered Rick Brown is the man when it comes to golf around here, and he's got the scoop this morning. The announcement is supposed to come today from Allianz that they'll move their tournament to Florida next year. The Champion's Tour is apparently looking for a local sponsor to take over the tournament. You wonder how much Allied, Wells Fargo, ING, Hy-Vee or Principal have left in the bank. All of them have been VERY generous over the last few years with Civic projects.
USA Soccer will either become a major story in the World Cup today or they'll sputter out and come home with heads hung low. The game vs Ghana is one of the more important in the sport's history here. Even if the US doesn't get to the round of 16, it would be nice to leave Germany with a win.
There's a scary story on the NY Times this morning about kids, summer camp and internet sites like MySpace.
On to lighter news. There's a lot to do this weekend in Des Moines. I know this because my wife and I are again planning for a visitor. So, we're going to Arts Festival Friday night, Saturday it's Farmer's market, then to the I-Cubs game. I wish we could fit a visit to Nightfall on the River(Thursday), or the Hy-Vee Classic in...But there are only so many hours in the day.
It also comes on the heels of an Army announcement that they want to shorten deployments for soldiers. The Army thinks more soldiers will sign up for the a return trip to the middle east if they shorten deployments to six or none months.
Here in Des Moines the disturbing story of a puppy being killed on the near north side sparked a police investigation. I was thinking about this case and the re-trail of Andrea Yates in Houston today. The two are very different topics but I find myself asking over and over, what would make someone kill an animal or hurt a child in any way? I don't get it.
Rep. Steve King apologized for comments he made at the Republican State convention this weekend. There are so many things we could say about this. None of them are appropriate. All of them get me in trouble with somebody.
As the Hy-Vee Classic begins at Hyperion Club in Johnston, we're learning the other big golf event in the metro is leaving. The Des Moines registered Rick Brown is the man when it comes to golf around here, and he's got the scoop this morning. The announcement is supposed to come today from Allianz that they'll move their tournament to Florida next year. The Champion's Tour is apparently looking for a local sponsor to take over the tournament. You wonder how much Allied, Wells Fargo, ING, Hy-Vee or Principal have left in the bank. All of them have been VERY generous over the last few years with Civic projects.
USA Soccer will either become a major story in the World Cup today or they'll sputter out and come home with heads hung low. The game vs Ghana is one of the more important in the sport's history here. Even if the US doesn't get to the round of 16, it would be nice to leave Germany with a win.
There's a scary story on the NY Times this morning about kids, summer camp and internet sites like MySpace.
On to lighter news. There's a lot to do this weekend in Des Moines. I know this because my wife and I are again planning for a visitor. So, we're going to Arts Festival Friday night, Saturday it's Farmer's market, then to the I-Cubs game. I wish we could fit a visit to Nightfall on the River(Thursday), or the Hy-Vee Classic in...But there are only so many hours in the day.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
When it rains...
When it rains it pours and we used that phrase literally and figuratively this morning.
First the rain, it was brief, but welcome and there's more on the way.
Second, to the news. New headlines seemed to come by the minute this morning. First, we learned the sad fate of two soldiers kidnapped, and we now know, killed in Iraq.
Just about five forty-five this morning the first news hit on MSNBC. Reuters first confirmed the story throughout the Iraq Defense Ministry. Here's how one of the soldiers hometown newspaper is reporting the story. NY Times has an update as well here.
Also overnight the troop pull out began in Iraq, but it's Japanese soldiers not ours. It may be good news for some of you that the Japanese are pulling out because they are handing control of their security responsibilities over to the Iraqis.
That is the backdrop for debate in the US Senate today. Two Democratic resolutions go up for debate. One is a group effort from some Democrats who don't want a firm timetable for pull out. The second is a resolution from Sen John Kerry asking for a all troops to come home in 2007.
Who wants to bet me this comes up in about a year when we get serious about campaigning for the Caucuses? A lot of potential presidential candidates are saying a lot of things about the future of US soldiers in Iraq. The people who get paid a lot to make political commercials will hit record and save the tape for 2008.
This morning we expect to hear more from the Legislative Oversight Committee at the statehouse. Today it's the subject of bonuses for state employees. There are some big ones that we've heard about for people like former Economic Development Director Michael Blouin. Then there are some that might surprise you. Sonya Heitshusen and Dave Price continue their excellent reporting about CIETC from the statehouse.
It's already a busy day but another story we'll be watching is from the Polk County Supervisors meeting. Tomorrow, The Board will be looking at how they doll out money from Prairie Meadows. If you've never seen the list of charities and organizations that get money from the track, it's pretty interesting. This issue is about the community betterment grants the Board members give out every year. Some of the board members feel there should be more accountability when that money goes out the door. Good reporting this morning by the Register's Bert Dalmer.
Housing starts are up this past month. Couple that with a story we ran about the housing market slowing down and you get more confusing information about the right time to buy/sell.
Bottom line around here? We're still building a lot of new homes, and I just had a friend sell a home 10 days after putting it on the market.
There's interesting news about a Breast Cancer study that links a specific gene with a high risk of getting the disease.
Finally, I add this picture because it came in the mail yesterday from my wife's Grandma Penny in Florida.
She was spared the brunt of tropical storm Alberto, but she mailed this funny picture. Look closely and you'll see an unusual visitor in the front yard of this home. That''s a manatee!
Chris O'Mera of the Associated Press caught the great photo for the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Finally, to answer your first question this morning is...NO Trisha and I did not coordinate our clothes this morning. It just happens sometimes.
Have a great day.
Patrick Dix
First the rain, it was brief, but welcome and there's more on the way.
Second, to the news. New headlines seemed to come by the minute this morning. First, we learned the sad fate of two soldiers kidnapped, and we now know, killed in Iraq.
Just about five forty-five this morning the first news hit on MSNBC. Reuters first confirmed the story throughout the Iraq Defense Ministry. Here's how one of the soldiers hometown newspaper is reporting the story. NY Times has an update as well here.
Also overnight the troop pull out began in Iraq, but it's Japanese soldiers not ours. It may be good news for some of you that the Japanese are pulling out because they are handing control of their security responsibilities over to the Iraqis.
That is the backdrop for debate in the US Senate today. Two Democratic resolutions go up for debate. One is a group effort from some Democrats who don't want a firm timetable for pull out. The second is a resolution from Sen John Kerry asking for a all troops to come home in 2007.
Who wants to bet me this comes up in about a year when we get serious about campaigning for the Caucuses? A lot of potential presidential candidates are saying a lot of things about the future of US soldiers in Iraq. The people who get paid a lot to make political commercials will hit record and save the tape for 2008.
This morning we expect to hear more from the Legislative Oversight Committee at the statehouse. Today it's the subject of bonuses for state employees. There are some big ones that we've heard about for people like former Economic Development Director Michael Blouin. Then there are some that might surprise you. Sonya Heitshusen and Dave Price continue their excellent reporting about CIETC from the statehouse.
It's already a busy day but another story we'll be watching is from the Polk County Supervisors meeting. Tomorrow, The Board will be looking at how they doll out money from Prairie Meadows. If you've never seen the list of charities and organizations that get money from the track, it's pretty interesting. This issue is about the community betterment grants the Board members give out every year. Some of the board members feel there should be more accountability when that money goes out the door. Good reporting this morning by the Register's Bert Dalmer.
Housing starts are up this past month. Couple that with a story we ran about the housing market slowing down and you get more confusing information about the right time to buy/sell.
Bottom line around here? We're still building a lot of new homes, and I just had a friend sell a home 10 days after putting it on the market.
There's interesting news about a Breast Cancer study that links a specific gene with a high risk of getting the disease.
Finally, I add this picture because it came in the mail yesterday from my wife's Grandma Penny in Florida.
She was spared the brunt of tropical storm Alberto, but she mailed this funny picture. Look closely and you'll see an unusual visitor in the front yard of this home. That''s a manatee!
Chris O'Mera of the Associated Press caught the great photo for the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Finally, to answer your first question this morning is...NO Trisha and I did not coordinate our clothes this morning. It just happens sometimes.
Have a great day.
Patrick Dix
Monday, June 19, 2006
Monday Monday
As we get the show together this morning..We're doing it on a little less sleep than normal.
I don't know if it was just me, but the thunder lightening and ...yes...RAIN, actually woke me up. Let's see if it was enough rain to do the same to some of our dormant lawns. You can call it a James Bond rain. We actually only saw about .007 inches according to Jerianne
If you missed it there was an amber alert issued this weekend in Iowa. Two teens went missing for a few hours in northwest Iowa.
They found one of the two with the man they were looking for but the second girl is still missing this morning.
The CIETC hearings continue at the statehouse today and tomorrow. We've still got a lot of informatiuon on our website about the investigation into CIETC and Iowa Workforce Development. Just go to WHOTV.COM
Here's a look at the upcoming meeting and the agendas. These are open to the public.
Two US soldiers are still missing this morning. At about 6:30 we found out seven US soldiers have been injured in the search for these two. Now MSNBC is reporting Al-Queida is taking responsibility for the kidnapping.
Now to some of the good stuff:
Researchers now say red wine can put you to sleep. No, not that way.
It's supposed to be good for a restful sleep.
That flies in the face of a couple of articles that came up when I Googled this study.
Speaking of sleep...Apparently those of us who get up at crazy hours also snack a lot.
Trisha's favorite story of the day has to do with migraines and excuses.
If you saw the US Open yesterday, you are in shock like me this morning.
Phil, take out a three iron...hit it down the middle say thanks for the trophy and head to England for the British Open.
Seriously, he called himself and idiot after the round.
I wanted to see the guy win, and he may never have a better chance than he did this year.
And if you missed it Friday, I-Cubs owner and former editor of the Des Moines Register Michael Gartner had an Op/Ed piece in the USA Today. If you missed it, read it, then send it to your Dad.
More tomorrow.
As always your comments and questions are welcome.
Patrick Dix
I don't know if it was just me, but the thunder lightening and ...yes...RAIN, actually woke me up. Let's see if it was enough rain to do the same to some of our dormant lawns. You can call it a James Bond rain. We actually only saw about .007 inches according to Jerianne
If you missed it there was an amber alert issued this weekend in Iowa. Two teens went missing for a few hours in northwest Iowa.
They found one of the two with the man they were looking for but the second girl is still missing this morning.
The CIETC hearings continue at the statehouse today and tomorrow. We've still got a lot of informatiuon on our website about the investigation into CIETC and Iowa Workforce Development. Just go to WHOTV.COM
Here's a look at the upcoming meeting and the agendas. These are open to the public.
Two US soldiers are still missing this morning. At about 6:30 we found out seven US soldiers have been injured in the search for these two. Now MSNBC is reporting Al-Queida is taking responsibility for the kidnapping.
Now to some of the good stuff:
Researchers now say red wine can put you to sleep. No, not that way.
It's supposed to be good for a restful sleep.
That flies in the face of a couple of articles that came up when I Googled this study.
Speaking of sleep...Apparently those of us who get up at crazy hours also snack a lot.
Trisha's favorite story of the day has to do with migraines and excuses.
If you saw the US Open yesterday, you are in shock like me this morning.
Phil, take out a three iron...hit it down the middle say thanks for the trophy and head to England for the British Open.
Seriously, he called himself and idiot after the round.
I wanted to see the guy win, and he may never have a better chance than he did this year.
And if you missed it Friday, I-Cubs owner and former editor of the Des Moines Register Michael Gartner had an Op/Ed piece in the USA Today. If you missed it, read it, then send it to your Dad.
More tomorrow.
As always your comments and questions are welcome.
Patrick Dix
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