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New Veterans lottery ticket includes a chance to win a special motorcycle

News

January 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa artist known for painting patriotic pictures on a boulder in Adair County has painted a much smaller and more mobile object to help raise funds for veterans. Iowa Lottery C-E-O Terry Rich announced Monday a motorcycle built in Spirit Lake and painted by Ray “Bubba” Sorenson will be raffled off in conjunction with a new Iowa Veterans Fund lottery ticket. “All the non-winning tickets can then be submitted for this special edition of the Victory motorcycle,” Rich says.

Ray Sorensen III (Left) and Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich unveil a motorcycle to be raffled-off.

Ray Sorensen III (Left) and Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich unveil a motorcycle to be raffled-off.

The special veterans scratch-off tickets were created in 2008 and just over 14-million dollars from their sale has already gone into the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. Rich says the tickets will still have their normal prizes, and if you can’t win one of them, you can have a second chance with the motorcycle. “You are able to go to www-I-A-Lottery-dot-com and actually register your ticket,” Rich explains. The Iowa Lottery will then set up a drawing of all the tickets that have been registered to draw for the winner of the motorcycle.

Sorenson has painted what’s known as “The Freedom Rock” for several years and says he wasn’t quite if he was the right artist for the motorcycle project. “I paint boulders and I’m a brush painter and I told them that this is going to be artwork that’s brush painted, there’s gonna be layers and you’re going to be able to see some of the brush strokes. And the more we talked about it, we thought that will make it unique,” Sorenson says. “This is my first time doing something like this. I think it turned out great and I hope you guys like it.” Sorenson kept with the patriotic theme on this project.

“My favorite colors are red, white and blue. One of my favorite animals is the eagle and so you might be able see a couple of those things on this,” Sorenson says. He says once the initial sketches for the design were completed it only took five days to paint the motorcycle. “When I took on the project I was done with the Freedom Rock tour for the summer and I wanted to completely concentrate on it, so I kind of locked myself in my studio for five days and completed the artwork,” Sorenson says.

Sorenson currently has an effort underway to create a Freedom Rock in all of Iowa’s 99 counties, but he’s not sure he’ll do any more motorcycle painting. “I don’t know, I think I might just keep this one as the unique one in Iowa — I don’t know,” Sorenson says. “I had fun doing it, but I think my specialty is on boulders.” You can see photos of the motorcycle at RadioIowa.com. TheIowa Lottery says the motorcycle is valued at around 31-thousand dollars.

The “Ride to Riches” tickets will be on sale through March 26, with the drawing for the motorcycle held sometime after that.

(Radio Iowa)

Frigid Weather results in basketball game postponements, Monday

Sports

January 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

BOYS BASKETBALL

Diagonal vs. Lenox, ppd.

IKM-Manning vs. Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto, ppd.

Nishnabotna vs. Rock Port, Mo., ppd.

West Nodaway, Mo. vs. South Page, College Springs, ppd.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Diagonal vs. Lenox, ppd.

IKM-Manning vs. Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto, ppd.

Interstate 35,Truro vs. Creston, ppd.

West Nodaway, Mo. vs. South Page, College Springs, ppd..

Cardinals claim OF Ortega from Rangers

Sports

January 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals added an outfield prospect to the 40-man roster, claiming 22-year-old Rafael Ortega on waivers from the Texas Rangers. The left-handed hitting Ortega, of Venezuela, was designed for assignment by Texas on Dec. 30. The Rangers had claimed him from the Rockies a month earlier.

Colorado signed Ortega as a non-drafted free agent in 2008 and he made his major league debut in September 2012, appearing in two games. Ortega batted .228 for Double-A Tulsa last year with one home run, 10 RBIs and nine steals in 13 attempts before a season-ending leg injury in late June.

The Cardinals have one spot remaining on the roster.

Grinnell’s Maher sets NCAA assists record

Sports

January 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

GRINNELL, Iowa (AP) — The small Iowa school that produced 138-point scorer Jack Taylor has set another NCAA record. Division Three Grinnell College player Patrick Maher broke the NCAA record with 37 assists Monday night in a 164-144 victory over College of Faith.

Maher snapped the record of 34 set by Grinnell assistant head coach David Arseneault back in 2007. Maher also had 19 points to help the Pioneers improve to 8-2. Taylor put Grinnell on the national map with 138 points against Faith Baptist Bible on November 20th, 2012. Taylor didn’t play Monday night because of a lower back injury.

Iowa State revels in unbeaten basketball teams

Sports

January 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State remains the only school in the country with undefeated men’s and women’s basketball teams. Each squad is 13-0 and off to the best start in school history. Coach Fred Hoiberg’s men’s team is ranked ninth heading into Tuesday’s home game with Number 7 Baylor. The women are ranked 11th, their highest position since 2002, after winning 82-75 in overtime at Oklahoma on Sunday.

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard says the strong starts by both teams is a unique situation that has excited the fan base.

Iowa early News headlines: Tue., Jan. 7th 2014

News

January 7th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the extreme cold has added ice to Saylorville Lake but also has created some instability. The corps says the cold has reduced inflows to the reservoir northwest of Des Moines, so the water level below the ice can drop up to 2 inches a day. Visitors should contact the Saylorville Lake Administration Office at 515-276-4656 for more information.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Corrections says an inmate who escaped from a work-release facility in Fort Dodge has been apprehended in Minnesota. Department spokesman Fred Scaletta says 21-year-old Austin Runnells was taken into custody Sunday in Jackson County in southern Minnesota. Additional information was not released yesterday.

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) — A northwest Iowa hospital says it’s reviewing its security policy after a person committed suicide in one of its restrooms. Officials at Cherokee Regional Medical Center say the incident happened Sunday evening. Additional information has not been released. Cherokee Regional CEO John Comstock tells the Sioux City Journal that the person was not a patient and did not have contact with staff or other patients.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State remains the only school in the country with undefeated men’s and women’s basketball teams. Each squad is 13-0 and off to the best start in school history. Coach Fred Hoiberg’s men’s team is ranked ninth heading into today’s home game with Number 7 Baylor.

Wind Chill Advisory until midnight for far west/sw IA

Weather

January 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

HARRISON-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-PAGE-COUNTIES...

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST
TONIGHT...

* WIND CHILL VALUES...WIND CHILLS WILL AVERAGE 20 TO 25 BELOW
  INTO THIS EVENING.

* WINDS...WIND SPEEDS SHOULD AVERAGE 15 TO 20 MPH THROUGH THE LATE
  AFTERNOON BUT BEGIN TO DIE DOWN TO 10 MPH OR LESS DURING THE
  EVENING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.
IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS...MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND
GLOVES.

Wind Chill Warning cancelled. Wind Chill Advisory in effect until 9-am Tues.

Weather

January 6th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST TUESDAY...
...WIND CHILL WARNING IS CANCELLED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WIND
CHILL ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST TUESDAY. THE
WIND CHILL WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

* TEMPERATURES/WIND CHILL VALUES...TEMPERATURES WILL FLUCTUATE
  SOMEWHAT INTO THE NIGHT BUT GENERALLY REMAIN IN THE SINGLE
  DIGITS BELOW ZERO. THIS WILL OFTEN PRODUCE WIND CHILLS BETWEEN
  20 BELOW AND 30 BELOW ZERO.

* IMPACTS...EXTREME WIND CHILLS OF THIS MAGNITUDE CAN RESULT IN
  FROST BITE IN MINUTES AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF
  PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.
IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS...MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND
GLOVES.

Rhoads Hires Ayeni as ISU Running Backs Coach

Sports

January 6th, 2014 by Jim Field

AMES, Iowa- Louis Ayeni, who has had a major impact on Toledo’s running game in his four years at the school, has been named an assistant coach for running backs at Iowa State, head coach Paul Rhoads announced today.

Ayeni spent the last three seasons as Associate Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator at Toledo producing outstanding results. The Rockets qualified for a bowl game in three of the last four seasons and finished among the top five rushing teams in the MAC all four years.

The Woodbury, Minn., native helped place a Toledo running back on an all-MAC team and mentored a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the last four seasons.

“We are very excited to have Lou join our staff,” Rhoads said. “He brings a tremendous amount of energy and passion to this position, both traits I see as essential to aid in the advancement of our football program. He is a dynamic and relentless recruiter which is also vital to our sustained success.”

The Rockets are coming off a 7-5 campaign in 2013 where they averaged 240.6 yards per game on the ground to rank second in the league and 14th nationally. Under Ayeni’s guidance, senior running back David Fluellen flourished, earning first-team All-MAC honors in 2012 and 2013 with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. His 3,336 career rushing yards ranks fourth all-time in UT history.

Ayeni came to Toledo from Northwestern, where he served as a graduate assistant for two seasons, working primarily with the offense.

During his playing career at Northwestern (1999-2003), Ayeni played running back before switching to safety prior to his senior season. He served as team captain in 2003. He graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in sociology.

Despite being limited his senior year by injury, Ayeni earned respect as one of the most feared hitters in the Big Ten Conference. In four games his senior year, he totaled 22 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He added “Player of the Game” and “Big Playmaker of the Game” accolades against Kansas, Purdue and Wisconsin.

As an offensive performer early in his career, Ayeni helped lead the Wildcats to a Big Ten Championship in 2000. As a true freshman in 1999, Ayeni led the team in kickoff return average and yardage, was third on the team in special teams tackles and was the Wildcats’ second-leading rusher.

Ayeni played for Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts as a safety in 2004-05 before joining the St. Louis Rams and Mike Martz in 2005-06 as a linebacker.

Rhoads Tabs Mangino To Lead ISU Offense

Sports

January 6th, 2014 by Jim Field

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads has hired a former consensus national coach-of-the-year to run his offense.

Mark Mangino, whose offensive wizardry at multiple schools has been a catalyst for winning, is Iowa State’s new offensive coordinator.

Mangino was the first coach ever to be recognized as both the national coach-of-the-year and the national assistant coach-of-the-year (Gene Chizik, David Cutcliffe and Guz Malzahn have since joined that prestigious list).

Mangino was assistant head coach (in charge of TEs) and recruiting coordinator at Youngstown State, his alma mater, last season. The head coach at YSU is Eric Wolford, one of Mangino’s former players.

“I am beyond thrilled to welcome Coach Mangino to the Cyclone football family,” Rhoads said. “He has an imaginative offensive mind, an ability to play to his players’ strengths, a track record of winning and a tremendous familiarity with the Big 12 Conference. In terms of calling plays and executing a game plan, he is top shelf. He has learned from a ‘Who’s Who’ of college coaches, effectively led his own championship program and is respected throughout the coaching ranks.”

Mangino’s Big 12 experience is vast having served as the head coach at Kansas (2002-09) and as an assistant coach / coordinator at Oklahoma (1999-01) and Kansas State (1991-98). Mangino spent three years away from the sidelines after departing KU as his wife successfully battled breast cancer.

Mangino’s playbook is varied and innovative. To open a bowl game one year, Mangino flanked out both of his tackles next to the wide receivers. His offensive approach is wide-open, aggressive, and most importantly, effective. The last four offenses Mangino led averaged more than 400 yards per game.

Mangino’s eight-year tenure at Kansas was a remarkable renaissance. Inheriting a program with six consecutive losing seasons, Mangino turned a two-win team his first season into Orange Bowl champions five years later.

His Jayhawk teams were 50-48 overall, played in four bowls and won three. He is the only coach in KU history to win bowls in consecutive seasons (2007 and 2008). Kansas was ranked a school-record 19 straight weeks between 2007-08, set home attendance records five years in a row and produced the top three total offenses in school history.

The magical season of 2007 was the pinnacle. Kansas climbed as high as No. 2 in the national polls, shared the Big 12 North Division title, recorded a school-record 12 wins and won 11 games in a row (including an upset of fifth-ranked Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl). Led by quarterback Todd Reesing, Kansas was second nationally in scoring (42.8), eighth in total offense (479.8) and scored 64 touchdowns versus only 46 punts in ‘07.

Mangino was showered with coaching honors in 2007, including 14 national coach-of the-year awards. Among those were the Bear Bryant, Eddie Robinson and Woody Hayes Coach of the Year awards as well as recognition from the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association, the Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News and ESPN.

While at Kansas, Mangino developed a “Character First” program to educate players on key life skills. He also contributed to the Lawrence community through Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club and Habitat for Humanity.

Mangino got his collegiate coaching start at Youngstown State (1985-86) working for Jim Tressel. After three years at Geneva College (1987-89) coordinating the offense and coaching the offensive line, Mangino was hired by Bill Snyder at Kansas State.

The Wildcats won at least nine games and played in a bowl game his final six seasons in Manhattan. A loss in the 1998 Big 12 Championship game is all that kept KSU from the national championship game. Mangino helped tutor quarterback Michael Bishop, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, that season.

Mangino then moved to Oklahoma and joined Bob Stoops’ first staff in 1999, working alongside Sooner offensive coordinator Mike Leach. Mangino was promoted to OC the following year and Oklahoma went 13-0, beat Florida State in the Orange Bowl and was crowned national champion. Josh Heupel, another Heisman Trophy runner-up, was Mangino’s quarterback that year.

The 2000 Sooners were seventh nationally in scoring (39.0) and 13th in passing (294.7) and Mangino won the Frank Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach. In his three years at OU, the Sooners scored at least 40 points in a game 14 times. Mangino also coached 2003 Heisman Trophy recipient Jason White at OU as well as Outland Trophy winner Jamal Brown. OU’s record in his two seasons as OC was 24-2.