IA News
Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:39:51 CDT

Latest Iowa news, sports, business and entertainment:
POET EMMETSBURG
Poet seeks farmer support for cellulosic ethanol project
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Ethanol maker Poet wants Iowa farmers to
hand over their corn cobs, and lots of them.
Three years from now, the nation's top ethanol producer hopes to
use its plant in Emmetsburg to become one of the first refiners to
produce cellulosic ethanol on a large scale.
But first Poet needs to convince area farmers to devote an
estimated 270,000 acres to corn growing. Otherwise, the company
won't have enough cobs to supply its $200 million Project Liberty
cellulosic project.
A farmer and investor in the plant, Craig Brownlee, says that
amounts to about two counties' worth of corn.
Brownlee says there has been some skepticism in town about
whether Poet could expand the plant by making ethanol from corn
cobs and other plant cellulose.
Poet has been trying to sway the critics. Earlier this month it
held what it called a "blast off" meeting attended by about 400
area farmers and agribusiness representatives.
SUNSHINE WEEK COURTS ONLINE RECORDS
Judicial Branch scales back plans for online access to records
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa Judicial Branch appears to be
scaling back its plans for posting court documents online.
Officials say concerns have arisen over protecting Iowans'
personal information.
For years, the judicial branch has supported making all
nonconfidential court records available through the Internet. But
the agency signaled a change of heart earlier this year when
Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus told a joint session of
the Iowa Legislature that the court now opposed such unfettered,
remote access to those records.
Instead of posting the bulk of case information online, she
saythat the court plans to only give the public access to full case
information at computers terminals in clerk of court offices.
That wouldn't be much of a change from the current system. Some
basic case information has been available online since 2002, but to
get access to complete documents the public must now contact the
clerk of court or visit their office to get paper copies.
MAIL BOMB ARRESTS
Two Cedar Falls teens arrested for mailbox bombs
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) - Police have charged a pair of Cedar
Falls teenagers with reckless use of explosives after they
allegedly planted homemade bombs in mailboxes.
Michael Truelson and Casey Schwickerath, who are both 15, were
taken into custody yesterday (Friday).
Reckless use of explosives is a serious misdemeanor.
The charges came after Cedar Falls police investigated
allegations from a homeowner who reported a fire in a mailbox late
on Wednesday. Police discovered more damaged mailboxes in the same
neighborhood.
The incident came after federal officials warned Iowans to use
extra caution when opening their mailboxes after reports of 20
similar blasts across the state.
Five youths were recently cited in Clay County. Four bombs made
from soda bottles were also found in Des Moines mailboxes this
month.
Police do not believe the incidents are related.
SNOW GEESE MIGRATION
Snow geese migrating to southwestern Iowa
BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) - Officials with the state's Department of
Natural Resources say the spring snow goose migration has begun in
southern Iowa.
Residents in southwest Iowa can expect to hear the geese and
their distinctive high-pitched yelping soon, said Lowell Washburn
of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The population of snow geese has more than tripled in the past
30 years - up to about 1.4 million birds. Washburn says that's
resulted in serious damage to fragile artic nesting areas.
Because the birds overpopulation puts other species at risk,
hunters have been allowed to shoot snow geese during the spring
migration since 1999. The goal is to reduce the population by as
much as 50 percent.
ETHANOL BIODIESEL PLANT
Mason City facility considers tapping ethanol and biodiesel
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) - The president of a Mason City ethanol
plant says the facility might expand its operations to include
biodiesel by the end of the year.
Walt Wendland, the president of Golden Grain Energy says his
company is working with BEST BioDiesel Inc. of Madison, Wisconsin
to look at opportunities.
Wendland says it would be a "first-of-its kind" partnership
that would use BESTs technology to take Golden Grains corn oil
and process it into biodiesel.
The proposed partnership, called Corn Oil Bio-Solutions LLC,
would employ at least 11 people in Mason City with an average pay
of about $18 an hour.
A new plant associated with the partnership would be built on
the southeast corner of the current Golden Grain property in Mason
City.
Wendland says the partnership will allow for sharing resources
such as liquid storage, utilities, logistics and some staffing.
Golden Grain Energy began producing ethanol in Mason City in
December 2004.
ISU MORRILL ACT
Iowa State displays document that helped establish university
AMES, Iowa (AP) - Through thick Plexiglas, inside a
climate-controlled case, visitors to Iowa State University can take
a look at how it all began.
The Morrill Act, a handwritten 146-year-old document that bears
the signature of President Abraham Lincoln, revolutionized higher
education in America.
It also paved the way for the construction of Iowa State.
The document is rarely displayed, but it will be on display at
Iowa State beginning today (Saturday) as the university celebrates
its sesquicentennial - 150th - anniversary.
Before the Morrill Act was signed into law, higher education in
the United States was generally reserved for the children of the
wealthy or those headed for careers in law, medicine, the military
or the ministry.
The legislation prompted the creation of institutions that
focused on agriculture and trade skills that were open to men and
women, regardless of family income.
NCAA GEORGIA TECH IOWA STATE
Alison Lacey's shot, free throws lift Iowa State past Georgia
Tech 58-55
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Alison Lacey came through when Iowa
State needed her the most.
Lacey hit a running shot in the lane with 47.4 seconds left and
added two free throws to lift Iowa State past Georgia Tech 58-55
today (Saturday) in the first round of the NCAA tournament in the
Greensboro Regional.
The seventh-seeded Cyclones, who improved to 21-12, built a
13-point lead in the second half behind freshman Kelsey Bolte's
long-range shooting, then hung on at the end to advance to a
second-round game Monday night against the Rutgers-Robert Morris
winner.
Jill Ingram hit two 3-pointers in an 11-2 run that drew
10th-seeded Georgia Tech, which ends the year at 22-10, to 52-50,
and the Yellow Jackets trailed 54-53 when Jacqua Williams scored on
a follow shot with 2:43 to play.
Tech then misfired on two chances to take the lead, Williams
getting her shot blocked by Jocelyn Anderson and Alex Montgomery
missing an open 3-point attempt.
In other action in Des Moines, Kia Vaughn led four players in
double figures with 22 points and second-seeded Rutgers routed
15th-seeded Robert Morris 85-42.
NCAA IOWA GEORGIA
Ankle injury worries Bluder in otherwise trouble-free season
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - It was almost too good to be true.
No torn knee ligaments, no surgeries, no hospital visits. What's
this? A season of good health for the Iowa women's basketball team?
Well, almost. On the eve of the Hawkeyes' first-round NCAA
tournament game with Georgia on Sunday, coach Lisa Bluder was
worried about the health of back-up center JoAnn Hamlin. Hamlin
injured her left ankle in practice in Iowa City on Friday before
the team left for Virginia.
Bluder thought Hamlin would be able to play in the New Orleans
Regional game at the Ted Constant Convention Center, but she wasn't
sure how much.
Even with Hamlin's bum ankle, this season has been far less
stressful on Bluder than previous years, when it seemed as though
one key player after another went down with an injury.
The ninth-seeded Hawkeyes, who are 21-10, shared the
regular-season Big Ten championship with Ohio State and earned the
school's 17th NCAA tournament. They will face eighth-seeded
Georgia, which is 22-9, and boasts one of the nation's top players
in 6-foot-3 forward Tasha Humphrey, on Sunday.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

WebReady^TM Powered by WireReady®NSI