We got DBs and DLs this morning.

A couple main takeaways:

-Xavier Nwankpa did in fact talk to Kadyn Proctor before the news got out: "I was disappointed, but it's not he place for everybody. Everyone has to make their own decision."
-When asked about the offense, almost all of the guys used the words 'motion' and 'confusing' a lot.
-Koen Entringer is hurt and hasn't been participating in the spring. He'll be good to go by fall.
-I heard John Nestor get compared to Riley Moss several times this morning. We heard a bit of that last fall, too.

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i.e., my local news blog weekly piece from our local immigration lawyer, who is a good fellow.

It seems like a bad time to be anti-tree.



We’re not quite four years removed from a derecho which, according to the Department of Natural Resources, destroyed 724,000 acres of the state’s forests. That’s out of 2.9 million forested acres total according to the USDA.


Clearly, the state’s woodlands took a beating at the hands of a fierce storm. Now, the Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature is considering a bill that could do further damage.




Under current law, “forest reservations” and stands of fruit trees of at least two acres and 200 trees per-acre, are exempted from property taxes. It’s an incentive for landowners to preserve wooded areas along with their environmental benefits.


But House File 2672, a bill that has passed the Iowa House and is moving through to Iowa Senate, would allow counties to decide whether they provide the forest exemption. And the size of an eligible woodland would increase from two acres to five acres.


So, counties can drop the exemption. Some woodlands currently exempted would lose that status. Who would want to provide a disincentive for landowners to keep forests?


Round up the usual suspects. The Iowa Cattleman’s Association, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Iowa Soybean Association and, of course, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation are all registered in favor of the bill. Farm groups want more land for grazing and crop production. Lose the tax incentive and landowner could be persuaded to sell land for farming.





The Farm Bureau has pushed hard in recent year to make it tougher or even impossible for landowners to sell or donate their land for conservation. The Farm Bureau also opposes the expansion of parks and other public lands accessible to Iowans, arguing the state can’t afford to maintain its current parks.


Lowball parks budgets proposed by the governor and DNR are making sure the Farm Bureau is right. But when developers grab valuable farmland for suburban sprawl, we don’t hear a peep. We provide endless tax breaks for business developments.


By the way, 30.5 million acres of land in Iowa is used by farming operations. Apparently, it’s not enough.


Also, counties need more revenue. Then there’s the local animosity toward out-of-state owners who use forested land for hunting and get a tax break.


But we have a lot to lose. Trees anchor erodible land so it doesn’t wash into waterways, improving water quality and helping mitigate flooding. Woodlands provide wildlife habitat, and then there’s the whole absorption of carbon dioxide thing. And natural beauty. Don’t forget that. Think of those autumn leaves.


Growing up I was lucky to live in a forested rural area. There are woodlands along the nearby Iowa River and about 280 acres of forest bordered our property. The woods were our playground as kids. Hiking around, having adventures, and dragging our sleds through the woods to conquer “suicide hill.”


And I’ve seen the twisted, shattered remnants of trees destroyed in the derecho. We take forested areas for granted until their gone.


This a misguided, shortsighted bill that should be tossed into a chipper. It will do us more good as mulch.

A "HELP" sign made from palm tree leaves saved three sailors stranded on a tiny Pacific atoll for more than a week, after the U.S. Coast Guard spotted it from the sky.

The three men were found Tuesday evening on the minute Pikelot Atoll, which is part of the Federated States of Micronesia. They had been surviving on coconuts.

The trio, who have not been identified but are all in their 40s and related to one another, used palm tree branches to make their desperate plea. They were rescued after coordination by the U.S. Coast Guard stationed in the region and the U.S Navy.

The sailors had traveled on Easter Sunday from Polowat Atoll, around 115 miles away, in a traditional 20-foot skiff with an outboard motor, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The Coast Guard's Joint Rescue Sub-Center in Guam got a distress call from a woman who said her three uncles were missing and they had not returned from Pikelot Atoll.

The initial search area was more than 78,000 square nautical miles. Only the sailors' palm tree sign alerted authorities to their whereabouts, when a Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules aircraft spotted it from the sky.

“In a remarkable testament to their will to be found, the mariners spelled out ‘HELP’ on the beach using palm leaves, a crucial factor in their discovery. This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location,” Lt. Chelsea Garcia said in a statement.

A body found in a wrecked car is likely that of a Benton County teenager missing since March 31, authorities said Wednesday.



Zander McClintock, 18, was last seen in Marion on March 31 at about 11:30 p.m. and was reportedly traveling to Van Horne.


Benton County deputies on Tuesday found McClintock’s vehicle — a black 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier — about 5 miles south of Vinton in Benton County, with human remains at the scene, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.




Benton County Sheriff Ronald Tippett said that while the body has not yet been officially identified, investigators have no reason to believe they aren’t those of McClintock.


Initial investigation indicates there was a car crash, and foul play is not suspected, the release stated.


The death is being investigated by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the state fire marshal and the state medical examiner.

👀

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Been wondering for years now.

This can be a quick topic. I am hearing the Brands and Gable do not see eye to eye and are no longer working that closely. ( I don't know how close they have been)

If this is true would this go down as the dumbest thing a head coach can do at Iowa?? Wrestling only of course.

THIS IS A RUMOR ON A DIFFERENT SITE AND I AM JUST ASKING NOT SPREADING......

Many sportscasters predict Rice will only have a 2-4 game suspension but that was before this announcement about an arrest. What do you think will happen?

- Three Iowa Heartlanders hockey players did not play in their team’s game Wednesday night after being arrested Sunday night in an alcohol-related incident in downtown Iowa City.



According to the Iowa City Police Department arrest blotter, Liam Coughlin, Kevin McKernan and Nick Campoli all were taken into custody between 9:57 and 10:29 p.m. in the 100 block of East Iowa Avenue.


Coughlin was charged with public intoxication, interference with official acts and criminal trespass. Campoli was charged with interference with official acts and criminal trespass.




McKernan, the team’s captain, was charged with public intoxication, assault on police/fire/EMT personnel and interference with official acts.


KCJJ radio in Iowa City reported that police said McKernan tried to intervene while one of his teammates was being arrested, was told by an officer to step back but instead grabbed the officer’s vest and pushed him backward. McKernan then was taken to the ground and handcuffed, “reportedly resisting and obstructing the officer’s efforts the entire time.”


KCJJ said the three charges against him could bring as many as 14 months in jail. A Massachusetts resident, the defenseman has played in 59 games this ECHL season for the Heartlanders, whose season concludes with home games Friday and Saturday nights.


Forward Coughlin, also from Massachusetts, has played in 45 games for Iowa this season. Forward Campoli, from Toronto, has been injured and hasn’t played since late January.





“We are aware of the allegations,” the Heartlanders said in a statement to The Gazette. “The players are going through the judicial process, and, until that plays out, we have no further comment.”

Years ago I wrote a screenplay. It's a great story. And I know it for a fact. And now the idea for it has gone from a movie to a Netflix type series as all of the elements for one are there. I protected it with the WGA and everything. However, I have zero resources or connections needed to get in a room to pitch it to the proper people and therefore, I will die with this thing never being shared with anyone who can do something with it. I used to be so excited about it because of how much of a slam dunk the story is, but alas, I have no vehicle to share it. Thanks for listening.

With a beyond stellar senior class heading out and a pretty big recruiting class coming in… What type of player(s) should Iowa WBB go after in the portal?

Remember, he works for them, not us.

March inflation data hotter than expected but orange man bad.

Celebration is going to be held Wednesday, April 10, at 6 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Parking will be available in lots surrounding Carver-Hawkeye Arena beginning at 4:30 p.m. ADA parking as available will be located in Lot 40.

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