Critical error in three-run Kernels eighth drops Bandits for 15th time in 20 games

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (August 19, 2014) - The Cedar Rapids Kernels scored three runs in the eighth inning, helped by a critical error, to come back and win their season-best eighth in a row 5-3 over the Quad Cities River Bandits, who have now lost seven of eight and 15 of 20.

With Quad Cities ahead 3-2, River Bandits reliever Albert Minnis walked J.D. Williams to start the bottom of the eighth before fanning Zack Larson. An Engelb Vielma single put runners on first and second and then Tanner Vavra doubled down the right field line to bring in Williams and tie the game at three. With just one out and runners on second and third, Quad Cities brought the infield in. Minnis got a groundball off the bat of Jonatan Hinojosa right at Bandits second baseman Jose Fernandez, who threw low to the plate, with the ball getting by Quad Cities catcher Brett Booth and roll all the way to the backstop to score Vielma. Booth went to retrieve the ball as Vavra raced home, but Minnis was unable to handle his throw back to the plate as Cedar Rapids grabbed the 5-3 advantage. Fernandez was charged with an error as Minnis (2-2) gave up three runs, just one earned, in two innings to ultimately suffer the loss.

The River Bandits grabbed an early lead when Marc Wik drilled a solo home run, his fourth of the year, to straightaway center against Cedar Rapids starter Kohl Stewart in the first.

Quad Cities was able to add to their lead in the second. Booth doubled with one out and James Ramsay walked before Stewart left the game with an apparent injury. Kernels reliever Jared Wilson issued a wild pitch to advance the runners up to second and third, respectively, before striking out Dayne Parker. Another wild pitch then brought in Booth to make it 2-0 River Bandits.

Cedar Rapids answered with a Vielma RBI single in the bottom of the second.

After Fernandez doubled to lead off the third, Wik immediately singled him home to make it 3-1 Quad Cities. However, the River Bandits would not get another runner in scoring position.

The Kernels began chipping away when Vielma launched his first home run of the year, a solo shot, to left off of Quad Cities starter Blaine Sims to pull Cedar Rapids to within 3-2. Vielma went 4-for-4 with two RBIs while scoring the game's deciding run in the eighth. Sims earned a no-decision, scattering 11 hits over six innings while allowed two runs with a walk and five strikeouts. He stranded at least one Kernel in every single inning.

The winning pitcher was Mat Batts (2-0), who fired five scoreless innings of relief, giving up just two hits while fanning six. He retired the last 13 River Bandits to come to the plate.

Jake Reed worked a perfect ninth for his second save of the season. The Kernels right-hander has now worked 17.2 straight scoreless innings, the longest streak of any Cedar Rapids pitcher this year.

The win pushed the Kernels to a season-best seven games over .500 at 67-60, 35-21 in the second half while Quad Cities dropped to 61-65, 26-31. The River Bandits will try to salvage the three-game set by sending Chris Lee (6-6, 4.04 ERA) to the mound tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. against Cedar Rapids' Stephen Gonsalves (2-2, 1.57).

UP NEXT: The season's final homestand opens with MidAmerican Energy Day and Family Sunday presented by KWQC and B100 at 1:15 p.m. Aug. 24. Pregame autographs are at 12:30 p.m., Bark in the Park means dogs are welcome to the Modern Woodmen Berm, and Kids Run the Bases after the game. The River Bandits are then home through Aug. 29. Tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com.

Thomas More Society submitted amicus brief and research in support of protecting women's health

DES MOINES, Iowa, Aug. 19, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- Polk County District Court Judge Jeffrey Farrell has upheld the Iowa Board of Medicine's ban on "webcam" abortions as dangerous to women's health. Thomas More Society had contributed to this victory by testifying and advocating against webcam abortions in 2010 and again in 2013 before the Iowa Board of Medicine. Additionally, Thomas More Society attorneys submitted an amicus brief to the District Court and sent substantial legal research memos on constitutional and historical issues to the Attorney General, defending the ban as constitutional and fully lawful.

"Planned Parenthood's claim that drug-induced abortion is 'exceptionally safe' is spectacularly inaccurate," said Matthew Heffron, Thomas More Society-Omaha attorney and author of the amicus brief. "Medical evidence overwhelmingly supports the Iowa Board of Medicine's decision, which Judge Farrell has upheld, to prohibit webcam abortions. Drug-induced abortions have caused numerous complications threatening the health and lives of women, and these complications are exacerbated when a doctor is not physically present for the procedure."

In August, 2013, the Iowa Board of Medicine voted 8-2 that a physician must be physically present when administering abortion drugs, rather than simply pushing a button at a remote location to provide the drugs after only a video consultation. The new rule prohibited the practice of webcam abortions, which allowed a woman to take abortion-inducing drugs without being physically examined by a doctor before or after the procedure. Planned Parenthood in Iowa appealed the ruling, alleging that drug-induced abortions are "exceptionally safe."

Thomas More Society's amicus brief, which Planned Parenthood felt compelled to address in a reply brief, argued that, contrary to Planned Parenthood's unsupported claims, drug-induced abortions are unduly dangerous to women's health.

Thomas More Society's brief also cited warnings of the Food and Drug Administration, "the federal agency charged with testing the abortion-inducing drugs at issue, that the 'possible and reasonably likely side effects' of the abortion-inducing drug include 'cramping, bleeding, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, back pain, and tiredness,'" on top of Prescribing Information to the effect that "prolonged heavy bleeding and bacterial infection may also occur."

Tracing the history of abortion prohibitions in Iowa, Thomas More Society-Omaha attorneys Matthew Heffron and Christine Delgado also submitted research to Iowa's Attorney General proving that the Medical Board's ban is both constitutionally sound and in keeping with Iowa's history of extensive regulation of abortion in the interest of women's safety.

"Omitting physical exams for abortion patients heightens the risk of complications from an already dangerous procedure," said Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society. "We applaud Judge Farrell's excellent ruling to uphold the ban against risky webcam abortions and thus to protect Iowa women."

Read Judge Farrell's ruling here.

Read Thomas More Society amicus brief here.

Read Iowa Board of Medicine's statement regulating webcam abortions here.

About the Thomas More Society (headquartered in Chicago):
The Thomas More Society is a not-for-profit, national public interest law firm dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family, and religious liberty. Based in Chicago and Omaha, the Thomas More Society defends and fosters support for these causes by providing high quality pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the way to the United States Supreme Court. www.thomasmoresociety.org

Thank you to our genenous foundations:

• $15,000 from The Riverboat Development
  Authority for our Dance Me A Story: Exploring Literature Through Ballet program that will be presented to area libraries, senior center and youth organizations to compliment our performance season that is based on five great pieces of literature. People of all ages will be encouraged to read using the extraordinary vehicle of dance.

• Ballet Quad Cities received a grant award of $5,000 from Humanities Iowa, a state based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, to support our program, Dance Me A Story: Exploring Literature Through Ballet. Area libraries, senior center and youth organizations will host this program throughout the year.

• $500 from the Rauch Family Foundation to purchase ballet barre's and props for our DREAMS: Achieved Through Dance that will take place at The Rock Island Academy Elementary School every week during the school year.

• $2,300 from the Rock Island Community Foundation to bring our award winning education program The Ugly Duckling: A Message of Acceptance Told Through Dance to the Rock Island Elementary Schools.

• $5,000 from Quad City Arts supporting our pilot program DREAMS: Achieved Through Dance,  taking place at The Rock Island Academy Elementary School. DREAMS stands for Dedication, Education, Ability, Memory & Self-Confidence, life skills that are important for students as they grow into future citizens.

Funding for Arts Dollar$ is provided by The Hubbell-Waterman Foundation; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Deere & Company; Doris and Victor Day Foundation

Meet our new dancer - Corey Mangum

Lt. Governor Reynolds Announces Clarke County as the Third Home Base Iowa Community

(Osceola, Iowa) - Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today congratulated Clarke County on achieving its Home Base Iowa Community designation.  Clarke County is one of only three counties statewide to secure this title, the others being Greene and Howard counties.

Home Base Iowa designated communities serve as centers of opportunity for military veterans. All Home Base Iowa Communities must have 10 percent of businesses in the area achieve Home Base Iowa Business status, develop its own incentive package for veterans and obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate governing body.

"Communities like Clarke County prove just how much Iowans respect the sacrifice our veterans and their families have made for this country," Governor Terry E. Branstad said. "As a veteran myself, I am proud of the commitment Clarke County is making and look forward to seeing our nation's heroes prosper in Clarke County and across the state."

Clarke County will take great pride in prominently displaying and marketing the Home Base Iowa designation within numerous websites and community signage. They also identified several items to be included for the Veterans in a welcome package including but not limited to:

o   Military Home Assistance Program, providing eligible service members and veterans with a $1,000 - $2,000 grant for closing costs to purchase a home in Clarke County.

o   Complimentary rooms at Lakeside Hotel and Casino while finding housing in Clarke County.

Lt. Gov. Reynolds added, "I'm so proud of my home town. Clarke County demonstrates its commitment to our service men and woman who have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. The Home Base Iowa initiative works to ensure every service member leaving the military can find a career right here in Iowa."

The Home Base Iowa is a unique non-profit private-public partnership that focuses on recruiting veterans and active duty service members for quality, well-paying private-sector jobs in Iowa.

• In March, Iowa was named one of only a handful of states to be designated an All-Vet State by "Hiring Our Heroes," a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
• In June, Iowa was named as the first state to offer "Hilton Honors Military Initiative." This is a program set up by Hilton Worldwide, and connects military members and their families across the nation with free lodging at Hilton hotels as they pursue their job hunt, or need somewhere to stay as they move for their careers.
• In July, Iowa was named the third "Get Skills to Work State" by the Manufacturing Institute and National Association of Manufacturers.

The initiative is currently co-chaired by Congressman Leonard Boswell and Casey's CEO Bob Meyers, both of whom are veterans themselves. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.org.

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