The second in a trilogy of ghost stories set along Route 66, Ghostly Tales of Route 66: Arkansas to Arizona from Connie (Corcoran) Wilson was published October 2. 2009, from Quixote Press. Volume II is a solo project. Connie was the featured speaker at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge Second Annual Route 66 Festival on October 3rd in St. Louis, Missouri (see article below). A website (www.ghostlytalesofroute66.com) is up, and the book is available there or by contacting Quixote Press at 1-800-571-2665 ($9.95 plus postage). It should be "up" on Amazon.com soon (I hope) and it will obviously be available on October 24th from 1 to 3 p.m. at Barnes & Noble in Davenport (North Park Mall). It contains 13 ( a lucky 13) different stories and numerous photos, including one that para-normal investigators swear depicts "ghostly orbs."

I took all the pictures myself with a Nikon D90 and I have no explanation for the "ghostly orb" photo on page 47. (Come see for yourself.) It's a very small book (150 pages) and takes almost no time to read. The second volume is much better than the first volume, as it is laid out better and has "real" pictures that Craig and I took while on a 2,000 mile whirlwind trip from Oklahoma City to the coast last November. (The first book started in Chicago and ended in Oklahoma). Lots of stories from the last "Ghost Tour" of the season at Fort El Reno, Oklahoma.) and then moving on to the Cadillac Ranch, New Mexico, etc.

If you are a friend now or a former friend or someone who would like to pretend to be my friend for about 120 minutes: I'll be there at Barnes & Noble on Saturday, October 24, from 1 to 3. This has been a Connie Wilson public service announcement.

The author---"good-and-faithful-friend" material for a lifetime, not just a mere 40 years--- comes with a lifetime guarantee of loyal friendship and a track record of providing same, along with many nice things done for others, voluntarily or by request. Others can vouch for this, if they're being honest.  I'll gladly provide a guarantee of satisfaction on Volume II (although not on Volume I).  If you are dissatisfied with Volume II for any reason after purchase, email me and I will gladly provide you with a FREE copy of Volume I (I'm trying to get rid of them from my basement anyway!).

--- Connie Wilson

6/16/09 (Des Moines) - Iowa Public Radio's daily news/talk program The Exchange won a national award for journalism excellence from the Public Radio News Directors, Inc. (PRNDI) during its annual conference on June 13 in Portland, OR. The second place award was for a call-in program examining Karl Rove's visit to Iowa City.

"We are fortunate to be recognized with several state and regional awards each year," said IPR news director Jonathan Ahl. "We are especially honored to receive this award because we competed against other strong public radio stations in places including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago. This is affirmation that the journalists in our news department rank amongst the best public radio journalists in the country."

IPR's talk show team includes Greg Shanley, Jeff Schmidt, Katherine Perkins, John Pemble, Julie Englander, and Ben Kieffer, host of The Exchange.

"Journalistically, Karl Rove coming to Iowa City created a perfect storm, and it offered us much more than just a juicy confrontation. Now, as we look back at the pivotal role that Iowa played in the 2008 campaign, you see why Rove's visit and the reaction it sparked was a significant event," said Kieffer.

The Exchange is heard on the Iowa Public Radio News network weekdays at 10 a.m.

Iowa Public Radio informs, enriches and engages Iowans through radio programming and other media. Iowa Public Radio includes the WOI Radio Group (Iowa State University, Ames), KUNI-KHKE (University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls), and KSUI-WSUI (University of Iowa, Iowa City).

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Quad Cities- IA/IL -- Two of the biggest names in weather in the Quad Cities announce a partnership that brings local favorite Terry Swails back to regular daily television and allows one of the most familiar people in the Quad Cities a chance to pursue his dream of running a weather website that services people in and around the Quad Cities.

In this partnership, Terry Swails will join Storm Team 8, the most experienced and accurate weather department in the Quad Cities.  Terry will anchor the weather for News 8 at 6 Monday through Friday evenings, working under the direction of Chief Meteorologist James Zahara.  James was recently appointed to the role after the retirement of Neil Kastor, another Quad Cities favorite.

"This partnership grew from a series of conversations I'd had over the last year with Terry," said WQAD-TV President and General Manager Larry Rosmilso.  "Terry made it clear that he wanted to be with his family more, and that his passion for weather was leading him to become an entrepreneur and develop a weather service on the web.  It soon became clear that joining the one station in town that has momentum and is investing in the future was the best place to use as a springboard for his business," Rosmilso added.

"The conversations with WQAD were so positive and appealing, I just knew it was a perfect fit for me," said Terry Swails, perhaps the most popular local television figure.  "Nothing would please me more than to watch viewers make the switch to News 8," said Swails, a Quad Cities television veteran of 32 years.  "I believe WQAD has positioned itself to be the leading news and weather authority in this television market and I want to be along for the ride.  This will be an exciting challenge and I am grateful to the WQAD family for the opportunity and to the people of the Quad Cities for their unwavering support." 

"This is the best of both worlds for both Terry and us," said Rosmilso.  Terry gets back in front of the camera where viewers can see him each day like they want, and we can help him grow awareness for his new business, terryswails.com.  It's the partnership you always want, a "win-win" where the biggest win is for the viewers that miss seeing him."

Swails will start his new role officially the week of July 6th with appearances on the air during coverage of the John Deere Golf Classic, in which WQAD-TV is the official host for the 28th consecutive year.  His regular studio duties will begin the following week, in which he will preview his forecast during News 8 at 5 and then be the regular weather anchor on News 8 at 6.  Swails will lend himself to an major weather coverage as James Zahara and News 8 ask of him, and the station will make a point of promoting the www.terryswails.com site and Terry's public appearances.

Allen Schares, content manager for Iowa Public Radio's contemporary music stream Studio One, has been named music director for Iowa Public Radio. In this new role, Schares will lead the efforts of IPR's two music services, Iowa Public Radio Classical and Studio One. Schares' appointment became effective February 10. "Iowa Public Radio's classical and alternative music streams will benefit greatly from the organizational experience and leadership skills Al brings to the job as he and his colleagues endeavor to present the highest quality public radio music programming possible to the people of Iowa," says Mary Grace Herrington, CEO of Iowa Public Radio. Schares' public radio background includes more than 20 years in various critical roles from program host and producer to music director of Iowa Public Radio's KUNI stations and, most recently, AAA content manager for IPR's Studio One network. His responsibilities as music director for IPR will include leadership, management and oversight of all Iowa Public Radio music activities for both the classical network and Studio One, including programming, online music-related content and live musical events. "I'm looking forward to working with the incredibly talented music staff of Iowa Public Radio," says Schares. "Together, we'll work to bring the best classical and contemporary music to Iowans as we redouble our efforts to reflect the eclectic tastes of our listeners and continue our support of homegrown artists." Iowa Public Radio offers three streams of programming?news, classical music and alternative music?and broadcasts throughout the state on over 21 frequencies. Iowa Public Radio includes WSUI-AM and KSUI-FM at the University of Iowa, WOI-AM and WOI-FM at Iowa State University, and KUNI-FM and KHKE-FM at the University of Northern Iowa. The operations have combined revenues of over $6 million annually and about 60 employees. The five member Iowa Public Radio Board of Directors includes one representative from each of the three state universities as well as two Iowans appointed by the Board of Regents. ###