With just six months until the Iowa caucuses, businessman Donald Trump (17 percent) leads the field of Republicans among likely GOP caucus voters, according to a poll from Suffolk University.

Meanwhile, a subset of voters who watched the Aug. 6 Republican debate said that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Dr. Ben Carson were the most impressive candidates.

The Suffolk University Iowa poll showed Gov. Scott Walker of neighboring Wisconsin second at 12 percent; Rubio, 10 percent; retired neurosurgeon Carson, 9 percent; and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and businesswoman Carly Fiorina tied at 7 percent.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush polled at 5 percent, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich (3 percent), while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were tied at 2 percent. Six other candidates received 1 percent or less, while 20 percent of voters were undecided.

"It appears that Donald Trump's lead is strong so long as the number of active opponents remains above a dozen," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. "If the Republican field were winnowed down to five or six candidates, Trump's 17 percent probably wouldn't be enough to win in Iowa, as polling indicates that his further growth has limitations. The long-shot candidates staying in the race help keep Trump on top?at least for now."

Debate Impact

The race was closer among viewers of last Thursday's debate: Trump and Walker were tied at 14 percent, with Rubio (11 percent), Carson and Fiorina (tied at 10 percent), and Cruz (9 percent) close behind. However, among likely caucus voters who skipped watching the FOX NEWS debate, Trump (21 percent) led Carson (10 percent) by a wider margin, with Rubio and Walker tied at 8 percent.

"In the absence of a debate, Trump's lead widens because he swallows up the political oxygen, but when that oxygen is spread out more evenly in a debate, it breathes life into the other candidates, and the race gets closer," said Paleologos.

When viewers were asked about Trump after seeing him debate, 55 percent said they were less comfortable with him as a candidate for president, and 23 percent said they were more comfortable. Forty-one percent said the debate moderators targeted Trump unfairly, while 54 percent disagreed.

Debate performance

Both Rubio and Carson benefited from strong debate performances and are within striking distance of the leaders. When debate viewers were asked which candidate was most impressive, Rubio led with 23 percent, followed by Carson with 22 percent. Carson and Rubio also topped the field at 12 percent each as viewers' second choice?an indicator of future growth potential. When viewers shared in their own words which debate moment they remembered most, Carson dominated, with 25 percent mentioning his closing remarks, brain surgery comments, or providing other positive feedback.

Though she did not appear on the evening debate stage, Fiorina made her mark among afternoon debate viewers, 82 percent of whom said Fiorina was the most impressive of the seven candidates in the earlier debate. Among viewers of either debate, 93 percent said Fiorina should be invited to debate the top tier of Republican candidates in the future.

History of Suffolk Research in Iowa

In the most recent Iowa Republican primary for U.S. Senate, the April 2014 Suffolk University poll was the first to show then-State Sen. Joni Ernst overtaking front-runner Mark Jacobs. In May, Suffolk polled three bellwether counties?Black Hawk, Boone, and Washington?all of which indicated a landslide win for Ernst. She went on to defeat her four Republican opponents with a 38-point margin.

Methodology

The statewide survey of 500 likely Iowa presidential caucus voters was conducted Aug. 7-10, 2015, using live telephone interviews of Republican primary voter households where respondents indicated they were very or somewhat likely to attend their local caucuses for president in six months. The margin of error is +/-4.4 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. Marginals and full cross-tabulation data are posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center website. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, dpaleologos@suffolk.edu.

DES MOINES, IA - The 2016 Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Parade will be held on Friday, March 18, the day after the holiday. The move is a collaborative effort to enhance both the parade goers and the NCAA fans experiences in Des Moines. The 2016 NCAA® Division I Men's Basketball Championship first and second rounds kick off on Thursday, March 17 with a break in games on Friday, March 18. Games resume the following day, Saturday, March 19.

"We reached out to Friendly Sons of St. Patrick to determine how we could help make these two great events complement each other," says Greg Edwards, President and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and Des Moines Area Sports Commission. "We wanted to find a way for the parade to leverage the additional visitors who will be here, while also ensuring that locals still have an enjoyable experience."

The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa organizes and executes the parade. In partnership with the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and the City of Des Moines, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick saw an opportunity to attract more attendees, offer unique performances and alleviate traffic and congestion for locals and visitors coming in to downtown.

"The change in date allows us to showcase our parade to thousands of out-of-town visitors," said Mike O'Connell, President of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Central Iowa. "We are also hoping to attract NCAA pep bands, spirit squads and teams to participate in our parade, which would provide a really unique entertainment enhancement for those who attend."

The parade will begin at Noon and will run the same route as previous years. "Our local organizing committee will be reaching out to NCAA to ensure that fans and teams receive proper communication about how they can experience and get involved with this event," adds Edwards.

For more information on the parade visit, friendlysonsiowa.com/parade.htm.

For more information on the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship first and second rounds in Greater Des Moines, visit catchdesmoines.com/sports/ncaa-basketball.

MOUNT CARROLL, IL - Timber Lake Playhouse presents Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the musical adaptation of Mark Twain's novel, Thursday, August 13^th through Sunday, August 23^rd. Propelled by an award winning score from Roger Miller, the king of country music, this journey down the mighty Mississippi provides a brilliantly theatrical celebration of pure Americana. The show is the final production of the playhouse's 54^th annual summer season.

Courtney Crouse returns to TLP to direct this modern classic that premiered in 1985. The story is played out by actor-musicians to the sound of country, gospel and bluegrass as Huck Finn (Grant Alexander Brown plays irrepressible hero) helps his friend Jim, a slave (played by Charles Benson), escape to freedom at the mouth of the Ohio River. Their adventures are alternately suspenseful, heartwarming and hilarious.

Bringing to life the other characters from the novel are Amelia Jo Parish as the Widow Douglas and Paige ManWaring as her stern sister, Miss Watson; Matt W. Miles as the Duke, who may or may not be as harmless as he seems; Chandler Smith as Huck's partner in crime, Tom Sawyer; John Chase as Huck's drunken father, the sinister Pap Finn; and Alexis Aker as the lovely Mary Jane Wilkes.

Crouse and music director Michael Uselmann have created a production that features guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, accordion and percussion played by the actors on stage. The concept gives the music an authentic country feel and showcases the virtuosity of TLP's 2015 company. Additional offstage musicians fill out the sound. Musical staging is by artistic director James Beaudry.

Crouse said of the production, "Bringing the music on to the stage creates a world that looks, feels and sounds like the folk music traditions that exist up and down the Mississippi River. The play looks at a time when the country was growing up, just like Huck does in the story. And the way the actors discover music and use it to create community really enriches the whole show."

Big River opens Thursday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue Friday, August 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, August 15 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, August 16 at 2:00 p.m.; Tuesday, August 18 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, August 19 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, August 20 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, August 21 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, August 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 23 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets for all TLP mainstage show are $17-$25 with discounts for seniors, active duty military and students. For reservations, call the box office at 815-244-2035 or visit www.timberlakeplayhouse.org. TLP is located at 8215 Black Oak Road in rural Mount Carroll, Illinois.

This program is partially sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

RWANDA, Aug. 10, 2015 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden today announced that seven new school feeding projects could benefit more than 2.5 million children in Africa and Central America.

The projects were awarded as part of the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Through the program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) works with private voluntary organizations and foreign governments in developing countries around the globe to reduce hunger and improve literacy and primary education.

"By providing school meals, teacher training and related support, McGovern-Dole projects help boost school enrollment and academic performance, with a special focus on girls," said Harden. "At the same time, the program focuses on improving children's health and learning capacity before they enter school by offering nutrition programs for pregnant and nursing women, infants and preschoolers."

USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) provides U.S. agricultural commodities, as well as financial and technical assistance, to support McGovern-Dole projects worldwide. In fiscal year 2015, FAS is donating U.S.-produced corn, corn-soy blend, lentils, green and yellow split peas, fortified rice, vegetable oil and pinto beans.

The seven new McGovern-Dole projects being supported by FAS in fiscal year 2015 are in addition to 28 projects ongoing in 21 countries. Since the program was established in 2002, it has benefited more than 30 million children in 38 countries.

Visit the FAS website to learn more about the McGovern-Dole program and the 2015 projects.

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