The search for two missing girls in northeast Iowa will get more national attention this weekend thanks to a NASCAR driver from Iowa.  The back of Michael Annett’s number-43 car will feature pictures of 9-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey as he races in the U.S. Cellular 250 at the Iowa Speedway in Newton. The cousins disappeared on July 13 while riding bicycles in Evansdale. Jeff Dennison, a spokesperson for Richard Petty Motorsports, says the idea was presented by Teresa Miller of Oelwein. “Luckily, through the race team and sponsors, we had an opportunity to have some additional space on the car…on the deck lid or back of the car,” Dennison said. Annett is a Des Moines native and played hockey for the Waterloo Black Hawks between 2003 and 2005. The girl’s pictures on his car will be accompanied by an 800 tip-line number. “Our purpose is obviously to bring light to it and say ‘hey, we have a situation here and Micheal is from (Iowa),” Dennison said. “We’re looking for media attention, but hopefully it helps.” The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Iowa Speedway is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Saturday. The race will televised by ESPN2.

Matt Holliday homered twice and drove in five runs and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 9-6 on a rain-soaked night at Coors Field. Rockies reliever Matt Belisle allowed five in 72 innings last year and one in his first 52 innings this season. Belisle has yielded home runs in his past two appearances, including a particularly costly one Wednesday night,  when he gave up a three-run shot to Matt Holliday on the second pitch he threw that put the Cardinals ahead 6-5.

After a rain delay of 1 hour, 26 minutes at the end of the seventh, the Cardinals scored a run in the eighth when Matt Reynolds completed a walk with a wild pitch and added two more runs in the ninth off Carlos Torres to send the Rockies to their fifth straight loss and their seventh in a row at home. The Rockies have lost eight of their past nine games and are 4-13 since the All-Star break.

In his report to the Atlantic City Council Wednesday night, Councilman Chris Jimerson announced the Atlantic Police Department has the necessary forms and information available for an upcoming Deer Depredation hunt, designed to reduce the deer herd within the City limits. Jimerson said persons interested in bow hunting the deer will need to attend  qualifications tryouts to be held at 10-a.m. Sat., August 18th, or 6-p.m.  August 22nd at Sunnyside Park near the old school house.

Councilman Steve Livengood clarified this is NOT an organized hunt arranged by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He said bow hunters will need to have a license, tags, permission to hunt on private property and Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green, to hunt within the City limits. Prospective hunters must also be able to prove their competency to handle their archery equipment responsibly. The City received permission from the Iowa DNR to hold the special antlerless deer hunt, to reduce the deer population, which has grown substantially since the last study was conducted a couple of years ago. An Urban Deer Control Ordinance was approved by the Council in June.

In other business, Councilman Dana Halder reminded residents about the need to remove your posted signs about garage sales. Halder said there is an ordinance prohibiting such signs on Public property. At the very least, he implored residents to “Have the courtesy to go pick up your garage sale sign…“  Some of the signs he says, are still posted, more than two-weeks after the sale was held.

Atlantic Police Chief said there is a $250 fine for posting signs on City property, such as light and telephone poles, school property and on private property, where permission was not received to post those signs.

The Atlantic City Council Wednesday tabled until November 7th, a Resolution approving the plans and specifications for the Sunnyside Tennis Court reconstruction project, due to a lack of bids. Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm told the Council contractors are extremely busy right now, they practically had to beg for an active bids. Sturm said they ended up taking just one bid, but it was more than  $40,000 over what was budgeted for. The bid from Dostal’s Construction out of Gretna, NE, was for $267,000. The Engineer’s original cost estimate was $241,000.The project would have been paid for through bond proceeds, grants and with payments from the Atlantic Community School District.

Sturm said after discussing the situation with Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring and the Parks and Rec Board, it was decided to reject the bid and request bids for the project again in February 2013. Sturm said the problem with receiving bids came down to a matter of timing. The contractors who would normally bid for projects have a full slate already, therefore there was a lack of interest. He said there are at least two or three contractors, including Dostal’s, who would be interested in submitting bids, once there’s a lull in the construction season.

Sturm said also, that the best bids typically come in during the months of January and February. Councilman Steve Livengood made a motion to table a Resolution approving the plans and specifications for the Sunnyside Tennis Courts project until November. The motion was seconded by Councilman Chris Jimerson. Dave Sturm said officials with the  United States Tennis Association (USTA) have indicated the delay in approving bids and specifications would not jeopardize the City’s likelihood of getting a grant to help pay for the project.

w/ Jim Field

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With Ohio State and Penn State both barred from the postseason, there are only four teams in the Big Ten Leaders Division competing for a spot in the league championship game. Wisconsin and running back Montee Ball are the heavy favorites as Michigan State moves on without quarterback Kirk Cousins. Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue all hope to find their footing following disappointing finishes a year ago. Nebraska and running back Rex Burkhead look to build on their first season in the Big Ten. Urban Meyer will focus on making the Buckeyes a force again after a 6-7. And Penn State coach Bill O’Brien is simply trying to keep Penn State afloat after rippling NCAA sanctions from the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.