What started out as a bit of joke for some fishing and hunting friends, has blossomed into a cottage industry for author Tim Murphy.

"I wrote 'Flannel John's Hunting & Fishing Camp Cookbook' for my friends. They would show up at deer camp or fishing with beef jerky, cheese and a case of beer. Aside from the olfactory assault, the camp needed something a bit more substantial. The guys needed ishes that were easy to make that wouldn't take long to prepare. Let's be honest, we (men) can lack patience and focus."

Since October 2012, Murphy has written seven "Cookbooks for Guys." The two latest titles are "Flannel John's Tailgating Grub & Couch Potato Cookbook" ($9.95) and "Flannel John's Single Guy Cookbook" ($7.95).

"The Tailgating book is for the football fanatic. It's great food for the parking lot at the stadium or the recliner in the man cave. It's also the biggest I've written in terms of recipes. The Single Guy Cookbook is aimed at recent grads, single dads or guys just kicked out of their parents' basement. Every recipe in that book is six ingredients or less.  It's perfect for the beginning cook," said Murphy.

But is Flannel John the co-author?

"Flannel John is a character based on a few old hunters I knew. I wanted to honor their spirit and what they taught me. He is also part Babe Winkelman, Ted Nugent, Red Green, Grizzly Adams and crusty mountain man. I have written six Flannel John books with another four planned.  The next one, "Flannel John's Hearty Bowl Cookbook - Soup, Stew, Chili & Chowder" will be out the first week of October.

The first book, Flannel John's Hunting & Fishing Camp Cookbook, cracked Amazon.com's "Top 1%" Sales category within a month of release.

Three more Flannel John titles followed the debut including Flannel John's Woods and Water Cookbook - Critters, Fritters, Chili and Beer in February 2013, Flannel John's Pirate Galley Cookbook - Coastal Cuisine and Maritime Meals from Oceans, Lakes and Rivers in April 2013 and for the backwoods, rustic soul there was Flannel John's Mountain Man Cookbook - Frontier Food from the Hills, Country and Backwoods in May 2013.

He also released his first "non-Flannel John title this summer called "The Tube Steak Boogie Cookbook - A Celebration of Hot Dogs, Sausage, Brats & Kielbasa."

"That book paid tribute to the hot dog stand of my youth, and adulthood, that I visited frequented for over 30 years.  It was in the south suburbs of Chicago. The comparable dining spot I've found  is a fish & chips spot in Astoria, Oregon called the Bowpicker," said Murphy.

"Willie's Wee Nee Wagon was always my first stop when I came home from college or returned for the holidays to see family. In 2009, Willie's acquired a new owner, a new name and a different brand of hot dogs. I went there once and it just wasn't the same.  But I have some great memories. Willie's had been around since 1955, first a metal food trailer, then they constructed a building in the late 1970's.  I am a bit of a fanatic about the place. I still have two of the paper bags from old orders. They must be ten to fifteen years old. One is framed and hangs in my kitchen, proudly emblazoned with Willie's motto  - We Relish Your Bun."

Why cookbooks for guys?

"I didn't see anything written for men, especially beginner and novice cooks," said Murphy.

"The first book covered comfort food for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, deserts and drinks. It was aimed at hunters and anglers but it's great for campers and RVers."

Future releases include "Flannel John's Winter Cabin Cookbook" in late October and a rock and roll themed title, his tenth book, called "You Cook Me All Night Long" in November.

Tim Murphy is a graduate of Western Michigan University. This 23-year radio veteran spent 17-years hosting morning radio shows in several Michigan cities including Holland, Muskegon, Traverse City, Saginaw and Houghton plus Fargo, North Dakota, Stevens Point, Wisconsin and Ketchikan, Alaska. Murphy has had a long career as a freelance and comedy writer. His work has appeared in dozens of outlets including Backwoods Home Magazine, The Porcupine Press U.P. Magazine, National Lampoon, The Traverse City Record Eagle and ABC Radio Network. He lives in Seaside, Oregon with his wife LisaMarie Costanzo.  

All seven of his books can be found at Amazon.com and at www.flanneljohn.com. They are $7.95 except for the Tailgating book which is $9.95. For additional information on the books or to inquire about wholesale book pricing, contact Tim Murphy at (701) 238-1775 or at shamrockarrow@gmail.com or like him on facebook.

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(INDIA) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad, on an international trade mission in India, today issued the following statement upon learning  Rockwell City Police Officer Jamie Buenting was killed in the line of duty earlier this morning:

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Jamie Buenting, his coworkers, and the entire Rockwell City community. This is a devastating loss that again reminds us of the harm faced on a daily basis by our brave public safety officers. We must never take for granted the work carried out by our public safety officers, and must be ever thankful to officers like Jamie Buenting for keeping our families safe."



Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds made the following statement in Pella:

""Today offered another stark reminder of the dangers confronted by public safety officers on a daily basis. This is a terrible tragedy, and we all will keep Officer Buenting's family in our thoughts and prayers. My thoughts also go out Rockwell City as they endure the loss of a respected public service officer."


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SPRINGFIELD, IL (09/13/2013)(readMedia)-- The Illinois National Guard's 129th Regional Training Institute (RTI) will host the state's first Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) Instructor Summit in conjunction with the Adjutant General's Combatives Championships Sept. 14 and 15 at Camp Lincoln in Springfield.

Chief combatives trainer with the RTI, Staff Sgt. Nicholas Grant of Caseyville, Ill., planned the Instructor Summit and said MACP has evolved over the last few years to include new training to meet the tactical needs of forces on the ground.

"Many of the techniques and training methods we will cover during the summit were adopted from the Special Operations Combatives Program," said Grant. "We will train on how to fight with weapons, weapon retention and transition during hand-to-hand combat, hand cuffing and vehicle extraction techniques, and most importantly, how to conduct MACP training at the unit level in a safe yet realistic manner."

Grant attended the three-day Army-wide national summit at Fort Benning, GA., in 2012.

"That sparked the idea to create a summit for our combatives instructors here in Illinois," said Grant. "Our intent is to make this an annual event to coincide with the TAG Combatives Championships each year."

He said combatives instructors at the unit level are spread throughout the state and it is difficult to get them all together to update the training after their initial MACP instructor certification.

"This summit will provide a priceless opportunity to bring dozens of our MACP instructors all together at one time to train on the latest and greatest that MACP has to offer and provide a rare opportunity to network with other instructors to share ideas on training methods and unit-level combatives program development," said Grant.

With the idea in place, Grant said it was a considerable challenge to prioritize the vast amount of material and squeeze it into one day of training.

"The combatives program has progressed so much in the past few years we could easily spend several days training on new stuff and hopefully next year we will," said Grant.

He hopes the instructors will return from the summit to their units with more tools to conduct safe and realistic combatives training.

"Plain and simple, combatives saves lives. Whether directly by providing the tools needed to dominate an enemy in close-quarter-combat or indirectly by providing the courage, confidence, resiliency and warrior ethos needed to survive in a combat environment," said Grant.

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JOHN MAYER

Born & Raised Tour!

Special Guest Phillip Phillips

Tuesday, November 19 at 7:00pm

iWireless Center

Moline, IL

On Sale Saturday, September 21 at 10 am!

Reserved seats ($29.50, $49.50, $59.50, $69.50 plus applicable fees) will be available at the iWireless Center box office, charge by phone at 800/745-3000 and online at www.ticketmaster.com

Brought to you by Jam Productions.

More Information on John Mayer available at:

www.johnmayer.com

 

Seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician John Mayer has announced additional dates for his current U.S. tour after a successful summer run, selling out in Los Angles, Denver, Houston, and Dallas among other territories. This is the singer's first tour following a three-year hiatus.

The new tour dates kick off on 11/19 in Moline, IL and run through 12/17 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, with Phillip Phillips ("Home," "Gone, Gone, Gone") continuing to support for most U.S. shows. Tickets go on sale for most cities on September 20and 21 at 10 a.m. in respective time zones. Citi cardmembers will have exclusive access to presale tickets with most dates going on sale September 17 at 10 a.m. EST. For full details please visit www.citiprivatepass.com and www.johnmayer.com .

Mayer's new album Paradise Valley debuted at #1 in 4 countries, and in the Top 10 in another 8 countries. The new album also marks his highest career chart entry in Switzerland, Ireland, Austria, Italy, and Belgium. His previous albums-Room for Squares, Heavier Things, Continuum, live album Where the Light Is, Battle Studies and Born and Raised-have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide combined.

Mayer is using the U.S. tour to both raise funds for and heighten awareness of the effects of post- traumatic stress on our military veterans. One dollar from each tour ticket sold in the United States will go to the Northern California Institute for Research and Education. Mayer partnered with NCIRE two years ago to create programs that help veterans return to healthy and productive civilian lives.

He has been honored with seven Grammy Awards and an additional 11 nominations.  Mayer has also been included in Time Magazine's annual Time 100 list of the most influential contemporary thinkers, leaders, artists and entertainers, and twice been featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine's annual "Guitar" issue. Last year, he was honored in Washington, D.C. by the Recording Academy for his philanthropic work on behalf of both U.S. military veterans and young people interested in music.