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World's Largest Tractor Coming to Iowa
Posted
8
March
2010
“Big Bud 16V - 747”,
the world’s largest tractor, will be making its way to Iowa for the
first time ever this spring.
Arriving in April, Big Bud has representatives of Heartland Acres in
Independence expecting big things for visitors who come to the
agriculture museum. “All of us who have worked to get “Big Bud”
to come to Independence are very excited”, stated Heartland Acres Board
member Craig Johnson. “This is a great opportunity to bring more
visitors to Independence and Northeast Iowa.”
Built in Havre, Montana in 1977, “Big Bud” was 1 of over 500 “Big Bud”
brand tractors that were built by Ron Harmon and the crew of the
Northern Manufacturing Company. “Big Bud” is the only 16V-747
model that was produced and was specifically designed to produce higher
horsepower to deep-plow cotton fields for the Rossi Brothers near
Bakersfield, California. The tractor was built to produce 760
horsepower using a 16-cylinder Detroit Diesel engine but has operated
at 980 horsepower. “Big Bud” measures 27 feet long, 20 feet wide, and
14 feet tall and weighs over 130,000 pounds.
“Big Bud” will be making its way to Iowa for the first time in history
and with tractor enthusiasts located throughout the Midwest, an
increase of tourists to Independence is almost certain. “Big Bud
is known globally so this is not only an exciting opportunity for our
area, but for the entire Midwest”, commented Heartland Acres Events
Manager Mike McGill. “We have reached out to the state tourism
office as well as over twenty other organizations that we partner with
in ag tourism to help us as we plan for Big Bud’s
arrival.”
As a member benefit, Chamber members across the state will receive a
discount on adult admission to Heartland Acres while Big Bud is being
displayed. “Participating organizations and their members will
receive $2 off the adult admission by showing our staff this article, a
membership card or by simply stating that they’re visiting as a member
of the Chamber of Commerce”, added McGill.
Visitor’s to Heartland Acres will be able to see “Big Bud 16V-747” from
April 12th until July 31st; making it the longest stop at any site in
its tour history.
For more information about “Big Bud” and Heartland Acres visit www.heartlandacresusa.com
or call 319-332-0123.
From Sap to Syrup: Interest in Making Maple
Syrup Grows in Iowa
Posted
1
March
2010
More and more Iowans
are seeking what literally has been an untapped resource — the sap in
the state’s maple trees, says Jesse Randall, a forester with Iowa State
University Extension. They want to make maple syrup, and Randall and
Iowa State’s Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management are
showing them how, just in time for the 2010 syrup season.
Vision Iowa Awards $1.23 Million RECAT
Grant to Museum & Aquarium's "Mississippi Plaza" and City of
Dubuque's River Front Marina
Posted
10
February
2010
Vision Iowa awarded a
$1.23 million grant to the National Mississippi River Museum &
Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa. The grant is Vision Iowa's RECAT (River
Enhancement Community Attraction & Tourism) program, which will
support the development of an outdoor plaza between the Museum &
Aquarium and its new Great Rivers Center (the former Diamond Jo Casino
building) due to open this summer. The outdoor plaza is scheduled to
open the following summer of 2011.
The Museum & Aquarium's Mississippi Plaza will provide an outdoor
museum space and will include a flowing stream with live fish, a "Huck
Finn" ride for children, a dancing waters fountain, pavilions as well
as an outdoor dining area with seating along the water's edge. The
total cost of the plaza is estimated at $1.8 million. The Museum &
Aquarium has raised $451,000 towards this effort to date.
Jerry Enzler, executive director of the Museum & Aquarium said,
"This is a tremendous boost to Iowa and to the Port of Dubuque. The
Mississippi Plaza will be a dynamic space to enjoy the river and will
compliment the exciting opening of the Great Rivers Center."
The plaza project includes an additional 43 transient boat slips to the
City of Dubuque's visiting boat docks in the Ice Harbor, which will
result in a total of 68 transient boat slips at this dock location.
Amenities for the boat dock portion of the project will include easy
accessibility according to ADA (American with Disabilities Act)
standards, a dockside shower/bathhouse facility, laundry facilities,
pump-out and waste reception equipment, electrical outlets and water
hook-ups.
"This is great news for Dubuque. We are very grateful to Vision Iowa
for this grant and their continued partnership in revitalizing our
riverfront," said Dubuque Mayor Roy D. Buol. "The expansion of
the museum and aquarium and the addition of visiting boat docks in the
Ice Harbor are significant to the continued growth of tourism in our
community."
Iowa DOT Asks Iowans to Put Safety First
Posted
4
February
2010
A series of winter
storms this year has caused many Iowans to become stranded or their
vehicles to run off the road. No one can predict when he or she might
become the next victim of bad weather, but we can all be prepared just
in case.
It can happen to you. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) has
developed a short video that identifies the basic necessities that you
should carry in your vehicle, and describes what you should do if you
become stranded.
To survive, stay inside your vehicle and use the resources in your
survival kit. Do not attempt to walk for help or try to remove your
vehicle from the snow.
Don’t put if off any longer. Now is the time to assemble your survival
kit. Learn what to carry and tips to survive by watching this new video
at http://www.iowadot.gov/ or http://www.youtube.com/iowadot
NICC Graduate Publishes Novel, Networks on
Veterans' Mental Health
Posted
3
February
2010
Northeast Iowa
Community College (NICC) 2008 graduate Jake Krapfl put his education,
military experience and writing talent to work, publishing his first
novel “Shadows of War” last year. Krapfl, now a senior at Loras College
in Dubuque studying Secondary Education and English, served two combat
tours in Iraq. The U.S. Army veteran drew upon his experiences in the
war to write the fictional account, and is still active with state
legislators to press for improved mental health care for returning
military veterans.
Upon return from Iraq, Krapfl took advantage of the G.I. Bill’s promise
for his college education and enrolled in the NICC Associate in Arts
program. At NICC, he discovered his love for writing, storytelling and
teaching. Early on in his college experience, NICC composition
instructors saw in Krapfl a budding writer whose enthusiasm for the
craft of writing could translate into a rewarding career. “Without
NICC, I would have not met (composition instructor) Jim Brimeyer who
inspired me and pushed me to continue writing. He helped me see that I
had a talent I didn’t know I had. I received an excellent education at
NICC,” said Krapfl, a native of New Vienna.
The graduate’s writing and active political work is being noticed. This
month Rep. Chuck Isenhart, D-Dubuque, invited Krapfl to share his
perspective with the Iowa House Veterans Affairs Committee in Des
Moines. He expressed that many of the mental health problems returning
vets face stems from a lack of a support network back at home. While
serving in an active combat role, Krapfl said that soldiers form tight
bonds with one another. Soldiers who return to the states find that
settling in, finding work and re-establishing connections with friends
and family members is especially difficult, he said. “Shadows of War”
explores the wartime experience and its toll on the human psyche, a
reality that Krapfl must face in his own struggle with post-traumatic
stress disorder. His debut novel was published by BookSurge Publishing.
Krapfl enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduation from Dyersville
Beckman High School in 2002 and served in Iraq from September 2003 to
February 2004, and from December 2004 to March 2005. He was a member of
C Battery, 2nd of the 319th, Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 82nd
Airborne Division. He was stationed in downtown Baghdad on both tours.
In 2003-2004, Krapfl’s unit patrolled a major Baghdad airport runway
area to secure it for allied aircraft landing and departing. The
airport, which is regarded as one of the busiest and most dangerous
airports in Iraq, posed an almost daily scene of hostile fire and
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
From 2004-2005, Krapfl earned a promotion to sergeant as a fire team
leader with five soldiers under his command. During this second service
deployment, he was stationed across from the Green Zone. The Green Zone
is the most heavily protected and friendly zone for U.S. and allies in
Iraq; his fire team patrolled in a dangerous, unsecured area across
from the Green Zone in Baghdad.
He is also active in area political leadership and caucused locally
during the primary election season in 2008. He was elected to serve as
a county-level delegate, and then progressed to the state and district
level after strong public speaking appearances. He represented the 1st
District of Iowa as a delegate and attended the National Democratic
Convention in Colorado in August 2008.
Krapfl’s career dream is to teach high school English locally, raise a
family and continue writing. He is the son of Dave and Luanne Krapfl of
New Vienna, and has five sisters and two brothers.
RAGBRAI Overnight Towns Announced
Posted
31
January
2010
The overnight stops
for RAGBRAI XXXVII have been announced.
This year's RAGBRAI participants will encounter one of the flatest and
shortest routes in the event's history. RAGBRAI 2010, which will
cover 442 miles from Sioux City to Dubuque July 25th through the 31st,
is ranked the 3rd easiest as far as hills and mileage is
concerned.
Overnight towns include Storm Lake, Algona, Clear Lake, Charles
City, Waterloo and Manchester.
Cool Video: Bionic Contact Lenses
Posted
25
January
2010
The wave of the
future!
Two New 'Wild' License Plates
Revealed
Posted
12
January
2010
Two
new
Iowa
license
plates
to
help
fund
natural
resources
will
be
available
for
purchase
at
county
treasurers'
offices
this
spring. The
plates were unveiled by Lt. Gov. Patty Judge Saturday at the State
Capitol during the Resource Enhancement And Protection (REAP) Congress.
The two new designs,
featuring a brook trout and a deer, will attract
two of the largest groups of Iowan outdoor enthusiasts, anglers and
deer hunters, said Ross Harrison, DNR REAP coordinator. The license
plates were designed by Cedar Rapids artist Greg Bordignon. At a
purchase price of $45, and annual renewal of $25 for the numbered
plates, the REAP program receives $35 from each purchase and $10 from
renewals. The DNR's Wildlife Diversity program gets $10 from the
purchase and $15 from renewals.
The two new plates
join three others dedicated to those natural
resource programs: the goldfinch/rose, pheasant and eagle plates which
together generate about $1 million a year and outsell all of the
state's other specialty plates. Bordignon also designed the current
pheasant and eagle plates.
Harrison predicted
the two new plates may double the current income
within two years because of the popularity of the designs. "The brook
trout is Iowa's only native trout, and is the best indicator of water
quality of any fish species."
REAP provides funding
to cities, counties and state conservation
efforts, as well as to landowners and conservation organizations and
individuals. Currently funded at $18 million in appropriations from
state gaming revenues, the license plate income is added on top of that
amount. REAP's public participation component includes a congress every
two year for citizen input into running the program.
The DNR's nongame
wildlife program uses its license plate revenue to
match federal money for projects dealing with wildlife that are not
hunted or fished, and therefore not managed by use of hunting and
fishing license revenue.
Resource
Enhancement
And
Protection,
plate
information
Cool Internet Video
Posted
11
January
2010
The
24/7
Network
is
proud
to
present
a
new
feature
for
2010.
It
will
not
come
as
a
surprise
that
the crew at JJC Media spends a lot of time
on the internet. We come across a lot of really cool stuff and
will share it with you using a couple of new features: Cool Internet
Video and Cool Internet Tools. If you come across cool things to
share please let us know at jjcmedia@jjcmedia.com.
Today's Cool Internet
Video: Kseniya Simonova is a Ukrainian
artist who just won Ukraine's version of "America's Got Talent." She
uses a giant light box, dramatic music, imagination and "sand painting"
skills to interpret Germany's invasion and occupation of Ukraine during
WWII.
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