FORT MCCOY, WIS. (07/22/2013)(readMedia)-- Members of the Illinois Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment (1-106th) out of Decatur, Ill., travelled to Wisconsin with their UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to conduct training, and participate in the annual joint service and multi-national disaster response exercise dubbed 'Patriot', taking place July 13-27.

The Patriot exercise simulates the occurrence of natural disasters. The exercise is comprised of three separate tornadoes and several terrorists attack scenarios. This combination of conditions is designed to overwhelm the first responder teams prompting a National Guard emergency response.

"What is great for us is the designers allow us to custom design the specific training that we would like to focus on, and they then build the scenario and work in that type of training," said Maj. Dennis Huffman from Heyworth, Ill., the executive officer of the 106th.

Huffman said although the unit helped design some elements of the training, the unit will not know exactly what and when it will take place.

"One of our biggest training values comes from not knowing the mission, being able as a unit to plan the route and then fly over unknown terrain and into unknown landing zones," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Adam D. Kellerman of Pinckneyville, Ill., a pilot with Company A, 1-106th.

Kellerman said there is a lot the unit can do at Fort McCoy that they cannot do in Illinois.

"We can get in the corridors they have up here and fly the terrain, right on the tops of trees through the valleys, and that is something that the crews don't get to experience every day," said Kellerman.

While at Fort McCoy the unit will use its time training new pilots and crew as well as conducting missions to support other units outside of Patriot.

"We are here as an aviation support element, supporting the Air Force and the Wisconsin National Guard to facilitate these operations," said Huffman. "We are then also able to jump over and support other Illinois units training here."

Blackhawk aircraft and crews are a resource to Illinois and its neighboring states if an emergency should arise.

"In addition to being able to move a large amount of personnel and or equipment, aviation can provide critical reconnaissance and surveillance of sites, in case of fire, flooding or hazardous material conditions that may prevent ground access," said Capt. Chris Lempke of Bloomington, Ill., commander of Company A.

Sgt. Charles L. Venegoni a firefighter and former Marine from Arnold, Mo., is now a crew chief with Company A, and is using this training to get familiar with the Blackhawk.

Crew chiefs act as a peripheral sight for the pilots and are also responsible for what is in the back of the aircraft, be it passengers or equipment, said Venegoni.

"I was a crew chief with the Marines also, on the CH-53, but it's nice to have this kind of training so that I can get adapted to the Blackhawk," said Venegoni.

From the pilots and crew of the aircraft, to unit planning and support, this training allows the unit to accomplish multiple tasks during a single exercise.

"We are out here for a great training opportunity, an opportunity that will allow us to get to and maintain readiness level one, which means that we are fully mission capable," said Kellerman.

(DES MOINES) - Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa Department of Transportation Director Paul Trombino III, today unveiled the new online driver's license renewal system.

Nearly 284,000 Iowa drivers will be eligible to renew their driver's licenses or identification cards 24-hours a day, seven days a week from any computer or mobile device with a web browser starting today.

"This system was created to give Iowans the flexibility to renew their driver's license or I.D. when and where it is convenient for them," said Branstad. "There is no better way for government to serve its citizens than to find efficiencies while at the same time offering quicker service and better access."

In the interest of public safety and identity security, there are stipulations on who can renew a driver's license or ID online.  With some exceptions, you will be able to renew your license online if:

• You have a valid Iowa driver's license or ID (non CDL).
• You are at least 18, but younger than 70 years old.
• Your license or ID has not been expired for more than a year.
• It is less than 180 days to the renewal date on your current license or ID.
• You are a U.S. citizen.
• You do not have any medical or vision conditions that would impact your ability to drive.
• You do not need to change the address or name printed on your card.

"The online renewal system supports our administration's goal of a creating more efficient and effective government," said Lt. Gov. Reynolds. "As a former county treasurer, it's exciting to see the use of new technologies and how the new online application supplements the current system."

"We are committed to making customer's interactions with the Iowa DOT smarter, simpler and customer driven," said Director Trombino. "Online renewal is one more service within our myMVD system that helps Iowans take care of needs related to their driver's license and driving record when and where it is convenient for them. Renewing online also helps reduce congestion at driver's license stations and county treasurer's offices, shortening the time spent at renewal locations for those who must renew in person."

Renewal cards will contain the same photo that is on a customer's current driver's license or ID. Customers will only be allowed to renew their driver's license or ID through the online system every other renewal period. Renewal periods and costs are the same regardless of how cards are renewed.

As with in-person renewal, new cards will be sent in the mail within 30 days of renewal. Customers who renew their driver's license or ID online should continue to carry their current card until they receive their new driver's license or ID in the mail. A proof of transaction can be printed and carried with their current card to prove that they have gone through the renewal process.

In addition to online driver's license and ID renewal, visitors to myMVD can:

• Sign up to receive renewal notices electronically.
• Change a mailing address.
• Get a copy of a driving record.
• Find out what is needed to reinstate a license that has been revoked or suspended.
• Pay civil penalties.

The official Iowa DOT online renewal website can only be accessed at https://mymvd.iowadot.gov.

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Film Producer Explains the Forces Driving Contemporary
Trends

Take a look at what's offered in media today - did you ever think you'd spend so much time with ice truckers and over-pampered, middle-aged housewives? What about your childhood comic heroes? Did you expect the sense of humor in so many commercials would be so intentionally obtuse?

What accounts for the seemingly drastic differences between what people watch today and what audiences gravitated toward 10, 20 and 30 years ago?

"There are important differences between today's media and that of 1983 - and there will be noticeable differences between what we experience today and 2043 - but underneath the apparent differences are important commonalities and overriding themes," says Vlad Yudin, (vladar.com) a Russian-born media entrepreneur and successful filmmaker, currently juggling multiple projects.

Yudin, a writer, director and producer, reviews five characteristics that feed an audience's media sensibilities at any given time:

• It's messy and organic. The zeitgeist, or the spirit of a time period, is never fully accounted for by any one thing; there are always many influences, including politics, economy, technology and a host of similar factors. For example, Yudin is working with "Game of Thrones" producer Mark Huffam on adapting into a film C.C. Humphrey's historical fiction novel "The French Executioner," which takes place in 1536. Why does there seem to be an appetite for stories set in the distant past? "One reason is that audiences want relief from today's technology and rapidly changing world," Yudin says. "The distant past was a far more dangerous but, on the surface at least, a much simpler time."

• Visceral and emotional content works. Whether a storyteller appeals to the heartstrings of a mostly female audience in a romantic genre or the masculine appetite for violence and action, audiences pay attention to visceral content. One of Yudin's recent projects, a graphic novel titled "Head Smash," has quickly garnered traction among comic fans, and he already plans to turn into a film. In recent years, comics have proven to be part of a winning formula for a film project's success. "Today's audiences have nostalgia for the comics they read as kids, but they gravitate toward darker, flawed heroes," Yudin says. "They're not kids anymore."

• People aspire to ideals. Human beings have always interpreted gods as ideal human specimens, from the grace and beauty of Venus to the power of Hercules. People who look perfect pique attention, which is why Yudin decided to revisit the fascination behind the 1977 hit "Pumping Iron" with his docudrama "Generation Iron," which updates viewers to today's body builders. "Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't become a household name through his acting talent," Yudin says.

• Gravitation toward an inspirational narrative. The ethos of the United States - the American Dream - appeals to contemporary ambitious immigrants, including Yudin. People want to improve themselves, and they like experiencing movies where characters start off low, but end on a high. That's the idea behind Yudin's 2010 film release "Last Day of Summer," about a low-ranking fast-food protagonist who finds his confidence. "Most of us want to root for the underdog, even if his actions for improving his lot are less-than-noble," he says.

• We fancy the fanciful. Ghosts, monsters, fairies, trolls, witches, wizards - our stories are filled with magic. Aliens are a comparatively more recent manifestation that even highly educated scientists believe are a possibility somewhere in the universe. We like to think that what may be impossible is possible, which is why Yudin created "Catskill Park," a film to be released this year. It follows three friends who document an extraterrestrial presence during their camping trip to upstate New York.

About Vlad Yudin

Russian-born writer, director, producer Vlad Yudin is the principal of The Vladar Co., a media and entertainment production company. New projects include the ARCANA Comics graphic novel and film "Head Smash," and the bodybuilding docudrama "Generation Iron," a remake of the 1977 hit "Pumping Iron." Additionally, he is currently working with "Game of Thrones" producer Mark Huffam in adapting into film the historical fiction novel "The French Executioner," the story of the greatest executioner in all of Europe, Jean Rombeaud. Yudin is developing the graphic novel "Head Smash," which is led by Sean O'Reilly, publisher of "Cowboys and Aliens." The sci-fi thriller centers on an orphan named Smash who finds a safe haven with a brutal syndicate, The Horde. Yudin is best known for directing and producing the docufilm "Big Pun: The Legacy" (2008), a critically acclaimed biopic about legendary rapper Christopher Lee Rios, and "Last Day of Summer," which he wrote, directed and produced. Yudin grew up in Russia and New York and is a graduate of Pace University and the New York University Filmmaking Program.