18 Jul 2013

Country First? U.S. Rep. Tom Latham Seriously Just Voted To Protect Terrorists' Access to Guns

By Rick Martin

Latham's Fealty to the Big Gun Manufactures Hits Disturbing New Low

Washington D.C. - It was a sad display in the U.S. House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday as 27 Republicans including U.S. Rep. Tom Latham (IA-03) voted to reject the mother of all common sense ideas: that we should treat terrorists just like we treat violent criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill by banning those on the terrorist watch list from legally purchasing a gun in the United States.

Shamefully, at the behest of gun manufacturer lobbyists, Latham joined fellow Republicans in a largely party-line vote to defeat an amendment offered by U.S. Reps. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and David Price (D-NC) that would close a glaring hole in the nation's gun safety laws known as the "terror gap" by giving authority to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to block suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms and explosives.

As Congresswoman Lowey's office notes: a recent Government accountability Office report found that between February 2004 and February 2010, suspected terrorists tried to purchase guns and explosives 1,453 times. Ninety-one percent of those attempts were successful. *CLICK HERE FOR MORE BACKGROUND ON THE 'TERROR GAP' FROM MAIG

Jeremy Funk, Comm. Dir., Americans United for Change: "The terrorists must be breathing a sigh of relief that they can go right on buying a gun at any Wal-Mart without worry of failing a background check. Congressman Latham's disgraceful action was also a big win for the gun manufacturers that don't care who guns are sold to in America -- no matter how dangerous they are -- as long as a sale is made. Latham apparently can't stand the thought of the gun manufacturers losing any business whatsoever even if it's the worst kind of customer: suspected terrorists.  Latham's fealty to the gun lobby has really gone off the deep end.  Just wait until Latham's constituents hear where he stood: choosing gun profits over national security and public safety."

###

CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY:
http://www.cq.com/doc/committees-2013071700309856

Fiscal 2014 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations/Transfer of Firearms

Lowey, D-N.Y. - Amendment that would allow the attorney general to deny transfer of firearms to people suspected of being involved in terrorism. The attorney general would need to have reasonable belief that the person might use the firearm in connection with terrorism.

Rejected 19-29: R 0-27; D 19-2; I 0-0; July 17, 2013.

Vote Key

YEAS (19)

Democrats (19)

Cuellar (Texas)

DeLauro (Conn.)

Farr (Calif.)

Fattah (Pa.)

Honda (Calif.)

Kaptur (Ohio)

Lee, B. (Calif.)

Lowey (N.Y.)

McCollum (Minn.)

Moran, James (Va.)

Pastor (Ariz.)

Pingree (Maine)

Price, D. (N.C.)

Quigley (Ill.)

Roybal-Allard (Calif.)

Ryan, T. (Ohio)

Schiff (Calif.)

Serrano (N.Y.)

Visclosky (Ind.)

 

 

NAYS (29)

Republicans (27)

Aderholt (Ala.)

Alexander, R. (La.)

Bonner (Ala.)

Calvert (Calif.)

Carter (Texas)

Cole (Okla.)

Crenshaw (Fla.)

Culberson (Texas)

Dent (Pa.)

Diaz-Balart (Fla.)

Fleischmann (Tenn.)

Fortenberry (Neb.)

Frelinghuysen (N.J.)

Granger (Texas)

Graves, T. (Ga.)

Harris (Md.)

Joyce (Ohio)

Kingston (Ga.)

Latham (Iowa)

Nunnelee (Miss.)

Rogers, H. (Ky.)

Rooney (Fla.)

Simpson (Idaho)

Valadao (Calif.)

Wolf (Va.)

Womack (Ark.)

Yoder (Kan.)

18 Jul 2013

Houston Astros Midseason Minor League Recap

By Marco LaNave

Overall Minor League Record: (282-213, .570) - 2nd out of 30 MLB organizations 

MINORS SUCCESS: Houston's minor league affiliates have posted a combined 277-209 record this season, good for 2nd among all 30 MLB organizations...all 8 of the Astros minor league affiliates have winning percentages over .500...the Double A Corpus Christi Hooks, Class A Advanced Lancaster JetHawks, Class A Short Season Tri-City ValleyCats and Rookie Level Greeneville Astros are all currently in first place...the JetHawks and Hooks already qualified for postseason play by winning their respective league's first-half titles...last year, Houston's domestic minor league clubs had the best combined winning percentage among all organizations...Houston had the lowest winning percentage in both 2010 and 2011.

'TIS THE SEASON: Most websites and publications have been rolling out their revised top prospect lists, and the Astros have fared very well thus far...Houston had more players listed than any other MLB organization on both the Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus midseason Top 50 Prospects lists...in Keith Law's (ESPN.com) top 50 prospects update that went out today, the Astros were tied with the Twins for the most prospects listed (5) and the most prospects listed in the top ten (2).

THE PIPELINE: Prospects from the Astros system have already started to make their way to Houston...RHP Jarred Cosart made his MLB debut on July 12 against the Tampa Bay Rays, defeating reigning Cy Young Award winner David Price after allowing just 2 hits over 8.0 scoreless innings...Cosart had a no-hit bid thru 6.0 innings and became the 1st pitcher in Astros history to toss 8.0+ scoreless innings in their Major League debut...RHP Jose Cisnero, RHP Paul Clemens, RHP Josh Fields,  OF Robbie Grossman, OF Marc Krauss and LHP Brett Oberholtzer have also made their MLB debuts this season with the Astros.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG: Baseball America recently came out with their midseason Minor League All-Star Team, and OF George Springer made the cut as 1 of just 9 position players named to the squad...Springer has continued his rapid ascent through the Astros minor league system and is the only player in pro baseball with 25+ homers and 25+ stolen bases this year...the former 1st round pick is looking to become the first minor leaguer to tally 30 homers and 30 steals since Oakland's Grant Desme in 2009.

THE DRAFT: The Astros had another successful draft this year, using their first three picks on college pitchers: Stanford RHP Mark Appel, UC-Irvine RHP Andrew Thurman and UNC LHP Kent Emanuel...the Astros signed 32 of their 40 total players selected in the 2013 draft, including each of their top 14 picks...Appel (2.00 ERA, 3G) and Thurman (2.08 ERA, 5G) have already gotten off to strong starts to their professional careers.

 

ALL AROUND THE WORLD: Director of International Oz Ocampo has been leading the Astros efforts around the world, and since the July 2 signing period opened the club has signed 9 total international players: C Jake Bowey (AUS), SS/OF Osvaldo Duarte (DR), SS Frankeny Fernandez (DR), SS Wander Franco (DR), RF Felix Lucas (DR), SS/C Jonathan Matute (VZ), SS Joan Mauricio (DR), CF Nestor Tejada (VZ), and C Hayden Timberlake (AUS)...5 were signed from the Dominican Republic, 2 from Venezuela and 2 from Australia...POOL TRADE: the Astros were also able to acquire IF Ronald Torreyes from the Cubs in exchange for international signing pool space...Torreyes, 20, has already reached the Double A level...he has posted a career .312 batting average in the minors with 92 walks and just 84 strikeouts in 1290 at-bats.

FUTURES PHENOMS: Along with the Mets, the Astros had more prospects participate in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game this year than any other MLB organization...CF George Springer, 2B Delino DeShields and SS Carlos Correa each played in the game, while Corpus Christi Hooks manager and the 2012 Texas League Manager of the Year Keith Bodie served on the coaching staff for the U.S. Team...Springer went 1x3 as the U.S. Team's starting centerfielder...DeShields started the game at second base while Correa entered the game at shortstop as a late-inning defensive replacement...Correa won the first ever Futures Game Finalist fan-vote to claim the last spot on the World Team's roster...the former 1st overall pick was the youngest player at the Futures Game. 

RETOOLING: General Manager Jeff Luhnow has been retooling the Astros minor league system since taking over in December of 2011...in his 1st year with Houston, Luhnow made 9 trades and received 24 total players in return...this February, Luhnow flipped shortstop Jed Lowrie and reliever Fernando Rodriguez to Oakland in exchange for IF/OF Chris Carter, RHP Brad Peacock and C Max Stassi...Carter currently leads the Astros in homers (18) and RBI (47)...Peacock has gone 4-0 with a 1.21 ERA (5ER/37.1IP) and 30 strikeouts in his last 6 starts since returning to Triple A on 6/13...Stassi, the Astros top catching prospect, is hitting .322 (19x59) with 6 homers, 15 RBI and a 1.101 OPS in his last 15 games, ranking 2nd in the Texas League in homers over that span.

 

PATIENCE: The Astros minor league system is currently tops in the minors in walks with 1998 on the season...the next closest organization is Seattle, as their minor league affiliates have drawn 1903 total walks in 2013...the Class A Advanced Lancaster JetHawks lead all of minor league baseball with 470 walks while the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits rank 3rd with 426...the Astros organization also leads the minors with a .345 on-base percentage.

LUHNOW TOPS BA LIST: According to Baseball America, of the 750 players on Opening Day rosters this year, 572 of them (76 percent) came through the draft...those 572 players were selected by 93 different scouting directors...of those 93, the scouting director to produce the most Major Leaguers is current Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow...while serving as the Cardinals scouting director from 2005-11, Luhnow drafted 21 players that were on Major League rosters this Opening Day.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Heading into the season, several analysts and publications had drastically improved their rating of the Astros minor league system : ESPN's Keith Law - 4th of 30 (27th in 2012)...Baseball Prospectus - 9th of 30 (26th in 2012)...Baseball America - 9th of 30 (18th in 2012)...NOTABLE: Keith Law, Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus ranked the St. Louis Cardinals as having the top system in baseball heading into the 2013 season...Astros GM Jeff Luhnow served as the Cardinals VP of Scouting/Player Development for several years prior to joining Houston in December of 2011.

 

Level        Team                           Record (Place)

AAA        Oklahoma City RedHawks                    51-46 (3rd)

AA           Corpus Christi Hooks                          55-40 (1st)

A+           Lancaster JetHawks                       57-40 (1st)

A              Quad Cities River Bandits                     52-41 (3rd)

Level        Team                           Record (Place)

SSA         Tri-City ValleyCats                     20-10 (1st)

R              Greeneville Astros                         15-10 (1st)

R              GCL Astros                         12-10 (2nd)

R             DSL Astros                         20-16 (3rd)

 

ESPN.com Top 50 Prospects

7.       Carlos Correa                        SS

9.       Mark Appel                         RHP

29.    George Springer                  CF

33.    Jon Singleton                      1B

46.    Mike Foltynewicz              RHP

 

Baseball America Top 50 Prospects

9.       Carlos Correa                        SS

20.    George Springer                  CF

22.    Jon Singleton                      1B

31.    Mike Foltynewicz              RHP

46.    Lance McCullers               RHP

Baseball Prospectus Top 50 Prospects 

16.    Carlos Correa                        SS

18.    Mark Appel                         RHP

30.    George Springer                  CF

36.    Jon Singleton                      1B

49.          Mike Foltynewicz              RHP

 


18 Jul 2013

Register Now to Ride State Fair Express

By Lori Chappell

DES MOINES, IA (07/18/2013)(readMedia)-- There are only two weeks left to reserve your spot on the State Fair Express. The convenient and affordable State Fair Express provides round-trip transportation to the Iowa State Fair from 41 locations throughout the state. The 2013 Iowa State Fair runs August 8-18.

Each State Fair Express ticket includes:

• Round trip transportation to and from Des Moines on a deluxe Windstar Lines motor coach

• Fair admission

• A complimentary bottle of water

• Fair coupon book offering food and drink discounts with more than $30 in savings

• Daily Program with map of the Fairgrounds

• Easy pickup and drop off in the Fair's North Lot at Gate 15

The State Fair Express, sponsored by Fareway, will arrive at the Fair at approximately 10 a.m. and will depart at 6 p.m. Adult fare includes ages 12 and over, child fare includes ages 5-11 and children under age 5 ride free. Persons under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Ticket pricing varies by location.

Please call Windstar Lines Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 888.494.6378 or visit www.gowindstar.com/iowa-state-fair.php to make State Fair Express reservations. Payment must be made in full at the time of reservation. Windstar accepts Visa and MasterCard.

Reservations can be made up to one week prior to departure. The State Fair Express runs rain or shine and no refunds will be issued. If the trip does not meet the minimum requirement of 30 reservations, cancellation of the trip will occur seven days prior to departure and riders will be notified by Windstar Lines. If a cancellation occurs refunds will be given.

"Nothing Compares" to the 2013 Iowa State Fair, August 8-18. The Fairgrounds are located at East 30th and East University Avenue, just 10 minutes east of downtown Des Moines. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit www.iowastatefair.org.

* * *

18 Jul 2013

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to Honor James "Tama Jim" Wilson at Traer Historical Museum in Iowa

By USDA Office of Communications

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2013– On Saturday, July 20, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will give remarks at the opening ceremony for the Traer Historical Museum exhibit honoring the longest serving cabinet member, former U.S. Agriculture Secretary James "Tama Jim" Wilson. Wilson was Agriculture Secretary from 1897-1913 under Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt and Taft.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

10:30 a.m. CDT

 

WHAT: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will give remarks at the ribbon cutting for the Traer Historical Museum Exhibit honoring former U.S. Agriculture Secretary James "Tama Jim" Wilson.

 

WHERE: Traer Historical Museum

514 Second St.

Traer, IA

 

#

18 Jul 2013

July 23 - 7 PM - Jewish Fed QC hosts Iran expert at Bettendorf Library

By Glenn Kass
WHO: Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities-Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library (www.jfqc.org - www.facebook.com/jewishfedqc)
WHAT: "The Enigma of Iranian Politics" - A presentation by Yashar Vasef, Executive Director of the Iowa United Nations Association
WHEN: Tuesday, July 23rd - 7:00 PM - Free and Open to the public
WHERE: Bettendorf Public Library - 2950 Learning Campus Dr.
WHY: Yashar Vasef is a native of Iran who, along with his family, fled the country in the midst of the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980's.  Yashar has interned at the political think tank, The Stanley Foundation, and the Brooklyn-based BoomGen Studios, an entertainment studio that provides Middle Eastern media content to a Western audience.  He currently serves as the executive director of the Iowa United Nations Association.  In this capacity, Vasef regularly lectures on a multitude of topics involving the United Nations and was a featured speaker at the 2012 national UNA-USA conference in Washington. Yashar is an alumnus of the University of Iowa and currently resides in Iowa City.
18 Jul 2013

Local mixologists compete for spot in state final competition

By Stacy Kluesner

The Iowa Restaurant Association is hosting 5 regional mixology competitions, the third of which will be held July 30 at Van's Pub & Pizza in Davenport. The top two contestants will advance to the state final competition. The past two reigning champs advanced from the Davenport region.

Everyone is welcome to watch and taste. A few competitor spots are still available.  A few competitor spots are still available for this competition. If you've got what it takes, register today at www.restaurantiowa.com and prove that you are a master of mixology.
18 Jul 2013

Former Davenport Man Sentenced on Federal Cocaine and Marijuana Conspiracy

By Val Quast
DAVENPORT, IA - On July 17, 2013, Alan Bernard Baugh, age 32, formerly from Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 75 months imprisonment, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine and 100 kilograms of marijuana, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Baugh was also ordered to serve four years of supervised release following the imprisonment, and to pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund. The district court also ordered Baugh to forfeit to the government $12,826 seized during a search warrant.
Baugh agreed in the plea proceeding that from June 2006 to February 2, 2012, he entered into an agreement with two or more individuals to distribute cocaine and marijuana. As part of the investigation, on February 5, 2012, law enforcement officers conducted a search of Baugh's Davenport residence and seized 7.1 kilograms of marijuana, 269 grams of cocaine, and $12,826.00 in cash.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Davenport, Iowa, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
# # #
18 Jul 2013

Governor Branstad to Lead Trade and Investment Mission to India in September

By Office of the Governor of Iowa

(DES MOINES) - In an effort to strengthen Iowa's trade and investment relationship with one of the world's fastest growing economies, Iowa Governor Terry E. Branstad today announced that he will lead a delegation of business leaders on a six-day trade and investment mission to India September 10-16.  The announcement was made today during a webinar on opportunities and challenges in entering the Indian market that featured the governor and U.S. Ambassador to India, Nancy J. Powell, a native of Cedar Falls.

"India's economy has transformed in the last couple of decades and is forecasted to be one of the world's largest economies in coming years," said Gov. Branstad.  "With India's tremendous growth and a burgeoning young and career-oriented middle class, it is an excellent opportunity to promote Iowa as a U.S. headquarters for Indian companies, particularly those in biotech, information solutions and advanced manufacturing, and also open new trade doors for Iowa small and mid-sized businesses."

The trade mission is being organized by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), with support from various organizations including the U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Service and the Confederation of Indian Industry.  Iowa mission delegates will visit Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, the country's major business and industry centers.

As part of the mission, the Governor, IEDA director Debi Durham and delegation will meet with potential investment and trade partners and government leaders in each of the cities.

While the itinerary is still being developed, Gov. Branstad is also scheduled to meet with business leaders who have expressed an interest in establishing an Iowa location and representatives from existing industry.  Iowa companies will participate in meetings specific to their market entry or expansion needs and attend daily briefings on doing business in India.  Prior to joining the mission in Mumbai, Gov. Branstad will make a brief stop in New Delhi to attend a luncheon hosted by the U.S. Embassy.

The IEDA works to stimulate foreign direct investment in the state, offers export assistance for small and mid-sized Iowa companies and coordinates international trade and investment missions and trade show opportunities for Iowa companies. Iowa companies interested in participating in the trade mission can contact Ms. Victoria Nwasike at victoria.nwasike@iowa.gov.

For more information on resources available to Iowa businesses that want to market their products or services globally, visit www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com.

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18 Jul 2013

Petra Hahn of Bettendorf featured in St. Olaf College news story

By Marie Frederickson

Researchers look for clues in mutant bacteria

NORTHFIELD, MN (07/18/2013)(readMedia)-- Petra Hahn of Bettendorf was recently featured in the St. Olaf news article, Researchers look for clues in mutant bacteria.

She is a graduate of Central High School and the daughter of Diane Rasmus and Michael Hahn.

Please click on the link above to view the entire story. A photo is attached.

St. Olaf students Heena Joo (seated) and Petra Hahn(right) are working with Assistant Professor of Biology Lisa Bowers (left) this summer to discover the purpose of a gene they deleted from a common type of bacteria. Using this simple bacteria as a stepping stone could be key in future application to other fields such as embryology and stem cell research.

18 Jul 2013

Be A Fan To Seniors Program

By Sarah Arp

With our community being under a heat advisory now until Saturday, the Center for Active Seniors, Inc. (CASI) is emphasizing the danger this may cause older adults in our community. Older adults are more susceptible to heat than younger people because they are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat and they are more likely to take prescription medicines that impair the body's ability to regulate its temperature or that inhibit perspiration.

In an effort to help older adults in the Quad Cities Area to stay cool this summer, CASI is holding its Annual Be A Fan To Seniors - Summer Heat Relief Program. From now until the end of the hot summer days, community members are being ask to bring in new (preferably box style) fans to be distributed to older adults who are in need this summer. CASI will also be taking monetary donations to go out and purchase fans as well. Donations can be dropped off at CASI, 1035 West Kimberly Road, Davenport, IA 52806 during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Due to the increased demand from older adults in the community, CASI will only distribute one fan per household with an adult 55 years of age or older. The following information will be requested at time of pick-up:

  • A valid ID to provide proof of age and residency

CASI's Senior Advocacy Department encourages friends, family and neighbors to check on older adults more frequently during extreme days of heat. Signs of heat related problems may be: cramping in legs or abdomen, heavy sweating, nausea, headaches, dizziness, or confusion, seek medical attention if any of these signs occur. If person is vomiting, refusing water or loses consciousness call 9-1-1 immediately.

  • END -

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